Redemption
by Dianna Silver
Summary: A new foe steps out of the past to harass the Inner Senshi. One by one, they're losing their powers. And just what does a resurrected and now human Nephrite have to do in all this? Read and find out. *Story complete*
1. Awakening

AWAKENING  
  
Gray stillness filled the large, circular hall, a tomb-like   
silence that permeated the chamber's very essence. A light   
layer of gray dust covered everything -- the cylindrical   
wall of black stone, the once-ornate furnishings and   
tapestries, the circular carpet -- fading away any sign of   
their former grandeur and color. Dim light filtered in   
through the room's three windows, poor attempts at   
illumination that were barely reflected back by the   
unpolished surface of the seven-foot mirror made of black   
glass built into the wall opposite the chamber's sole   
doorway. High up, on the wall, near where the dome of the   
fresco-covered ceiling began, a ring of tarnished gold   
sconces encircled the hall, each one of their twin arms   
holding a fist-sized clear crystal of lifeless luster.  
  
Of all the contents of the room, only a solitary item   
remained untouched by the depressive drabness that saturated   
the atmosphere. Lying on the faded carpet before the dark   
mirror was a single gemstone, a faceted sphere of glossy   
black whose deep-green highlights were the only sparkle to   
be seen.  
  
Suddenly the sepulchral stillness was shattered by a sound   
-- a low, deep thrum of energy. The dark gem's glitter grew,   
intensifying into a glow. From deep within its depths came a   
greenish-black light, pulsing in a heartbeat-like rhythm.   
With each pulse, both the light and the sound increased. As   
they did so, the entire room began to transform, shaking off   
its oppressive atmosphere.  
  
All around the pulsing gem, the gray dust disappeared,   
bringing back the true color and luster of the carpet, the   
tapestries, the furniture and the fresco of the solar system   
painted on the domed ceiling. Even the black stone wall took   
on a glossiness previously lost, while each of the   
sconce-mounted crystals high above began to gleam with an   
inner white light.  
  
The metamorphosis continued as the light and sound formed a   
slow crescendo, building into an inexorable climax that   
filled the hall. The gemstone's light, no longer pulsing but   
now a steady beam of greenish-black brilliance, transformed   
into a vaguely human-shaped silhouette. Both light and sound   
then quickly faded away, leaving behind a six-foot-tall   
figure with long, wavy, dark-brown hair and draped in a   
nearly floor-length cloak.  
  
The reflection in the now unearthly polish of the   
transformed mirror was that of a youthful adult, a human   
male of noble bearing and handsome visage. Deep-brown eyes   
so dark they appeared black glanced over his own image   
reflected in the smoky mirror, taking in the familiar look   
of his dark clothes and athletic form. Like his knee-high   
boots and gold-buckled belt, his tucked-in pants,   
mid-thigh-length tunic and long cloak appeared black, but   
the bright illumination of the glowing crystals above   
betrayed the truth. In their light, those three items were   
revealed to be actually dark blackish-green in hue. Around   
his head, a golden circlet glimmered from beneath his thick,   
dark hair, an oval-shaped black gemstone set in the center   
of the metal band where it crossed the middle of his   
forehead. Satisfied that he was truly conscious once more,   
the regal man turned around to inspect his surroundings.  
  
The metallic-gold trim at the neck, wrist and hem of his   
tunic, as well as the metallic-gold lining of his cloak,   
glittered in the light as he scanned the circular hall with   
his dark-brown gaze. Spying no evidence of violence in the   
room -- everything was much the way he remembered it should   
be other than the few small items lying scattered across the   
pictures of the Zodiac woven into the circular carpet -- the   
tall lord nodded in satisfaction. *So, the enemy never   
reached the sacred Hall, he thought. *At least our   
sacrifices weren't made in vain.*  
  
Images suddenly flashed through his mind, memories from that   
last fateful day. *No, not yet,* he chastised himself.   
Closing his eyes, he ruthlessly pushed the pictures and   
their accompanying emotions away. *I must find out what   
happened first.*  
  
A determined frown crossed his handsome face, twisting its   
masculine beauty into a sinister mask. With a fluid grace   
that betrayed his quickness and strength, he strode over to   
the right-hand window and looked out.  
  
An utter wasteland greeted his sight, a desolation of sand,   
dust and stone bathed in the dim light of a perpetual   
twilight. Looking down upon the devastation from atop the   
tall, round, castle-like tower, the dark-clad lord could see   
that nothing remained save the black marble wall that   
encircled the tower a quarter-mile away. From just beyond   
that somewhat distant wall, the uncomfortably close dome of   
what could only be called the sky rose upward to a zenith   
merely a quarter-mile high. There were no stars, no sun, no   
wind, no sound -- just muted light, powdery dust and   
profound silence.  
  
**************************************  
  
A scene from the past: The dark lord is leaning out of the   
open tower window where he now stands, a gentle breeze   
stirring his shoulder-blade-length hair, and is smiling as   
he watches other lords and ladies stroll through a lush,   
green garden. The others, dressed in a rainbow of colors,   
are making exclamations of delight as they discover each new   
fascinating flower gathered from the four corners of the   
Universe by the lord in the tower. Beyond the marble wall,   
emerald-green trees and sapphire-blue skies are seen, a   
rival to any such beauty found on Earth.  
  
**************************************  
  
Another scene from times long ago: Wounded and obviously   
exhausted, the dark lord is on his knees before the black   
mirror, which is glowing with an eerie greenish-black light.   
Eyes closed and head thrown back, he's apparently   
concentrating on the flow of the energy.  
  
Outside, in a defensive posture before a gate made of   
wrought-iron bars, a silver-haired, silver-eyed amazon   
stands ready, a formidable crystal spear in her hands. She   
glares at the advancing hordes, daring them to come closer.   
As a tall, demonic-appearing woman with long, flaming-red   
hair urges the army on, seven humanoid shadows rush forward.   
As they pummel the gate with their dark energy, the amazon   
braces the iron with a force-field of sparkling silver   
light. Concentrating on both tasks at once, the white-clad   
amazon telepaths to the dark lord in the tower that the   
enemy was at the gate and that she would hold them off as   
long as she could.  
  
Up in the tower, the dark lord acknowledges his captain's   
message. Desperation fueling his actions, he throws his arms   
out to either side of his kneeling form. A sphere of   
blackish-green energy explodes outward, engulfing everything   
in its path.  
  
Down at the gate, the seven shadows combine in a massive   
attack that shatters the amazon's shield. Before she   
recovers, two warriors on the other side step forward. Both   
are male and wear simple gray uniforms; the one to the left   
has short, golden hair and the other has long, dark,   
reddish-brown locks. Together they raise an arm, combining   
their powers into an intense emerald-green bolt that smashes   
the female warrior to the ground. Both men smile in   
apparent satisfaction as the amazon's unmoving figure   
vanishes in a glow of sparkling silver light.  
  
Seconds later, the leading edge of the blackish-green sphere   
is seen sweeping past the spot where the amazon disappeared.   
The enemy force pauses, seemingly confused by the dome of   
energy as it stops just beyond the black marble wall, then   
renews its attack. However, no matter how hard they try, the   
now immobile shield appears invincible.  
  
At the same time within the tower, the dark lord screams out   
in an agonized voice, "NO!" His deep-brown eyes then open,   
despair and determination written all over his handsome   
face. Focusing his gaze on the glowing mirror, his own form   
begins to glow as well. When his blackish-green aura becomes   
brighter than that of the dark-glassed mirror, the entire   
tower begins to shake. As small items crash to the carpeted   
floor, the quaking and the light become more intense.  
  
Outside, the ground is shaking as well, creating panic   
within the enemy ranks. As first fissures open up and then   
entire chunks of earth begin to rise in the air, the   
red-haired demon-like woman calls a retreat. Gathering   
together as best they could, the obviously frightened horde   
impatiently waits as four gray-uniformed figures take up   
positions along the outside at each of the major compass   
directions. To the north is the man with long, reddish-brown   
hair who helped with the attack on the amazon, while his   
partner in the deed now stands to the east. The figure to   
the west is a slender woman with her golden-blond hair bound   
in a ponytail and the figure to the south is a tall man with   
long, silver-blond hair and a long, white cloak. As one,   
they raise their arms up to the dirt-filled sky, swirling   
their energies together to create a sphere massive enough to   
encircle the army and themselves. Dead center in the sphere   
stands the demon-like woman, the seven shadows surrounding   
her tall form. As they and the sphere fade away into   
nothingness, she glares in enraged frustration at the black   
stone tower within the blackish-green dome. Once the   
invaders leave, the other sphere abruptly disappears as well   
while what remains of the trembling planet explodes apart.  
  
**************************************  
  
The dark lord slowly shook his head, the enormity of what he   
had done sinking in. *Behold that which you have wrought,   
Lord Obsidian,* he thought as he continued staring down at   
the eerie, barren landscape below. *My poor, beloved Lithos,   
you who once rivaled any jewel in the solar system,   
including that peerless sapphire known as Earth, I felt your   
agony in those last few moments as the power of the Mirror   
tore you apart. Driven by duty and desperation, I had no   
choice but to sacrifice everything I held dear in order to   
safeguard the Vortex Mirror. As it has always been since the   
Dawn of Time, when the Spirit of Cosmos appointed me   
Guardian of the Gateways, so it shall always be that my duty   
comes before all else.*  
  
Obsidian started to turn away from the forsaken sight in   
guilt and frustration when a momentary flash caught his eye.   
Startled, he paused, carefully searching the gray wasteland   
that had once been his prized Garden of Delights. Finding   
nothing, he dismissed the invisible barrier serving as the   
window's glass with a wave of his hand and leaned out of the   
three-foot-wide opening for a better look.  
  
From his new vantage point, Obsidian could now see, off to   
his left, the wrought-iron gate where the final   
confrontation had taken place. The gate still showed signs   
of the past violence, for even from the Hall of the Mirror   
high atop the Obsidian Tower, the Lord of Lithos could see   
twisted, blasted bars within the gate's intricate structure.   
It was from near there that the faint shimmer had come.   
Scanning the area meticulously, he was about to abandon the   
search when a dim sparkle caught his eye again. *There!* he   
thought, focusing on the distant object. Reaching out an   
arm, he felt his power wrap itself around the item. *To me!*   
he Called.  
  
The object erupted from the barren ground, exploding the   
thin layer of dust in a shower of fine gray particles. It   
streaked through the oppressively still air and landed in   
the dark lord's outstretched hand. Retreating back into the   
circular room, Obsidian restored the window's invisible   
barrier with an absent-minded wave.  
  
The moment he saw it, he knew what it was. It was a   
Gemlord's soulstone and was all that remained of his   
advisor, friend and close companion, Captain Diamond of the   
Tower Guard.  
  
**************************************  
  
Another scene of the past: Obsidian is sitting at the high   
table in the tower's Feast Hall, smiling in amusement, a   
golden goblet in his hand, as the beautiful amazon with   
silver hair and silver eyes sitting next to him tells a   
rather ribald joke. The couple about whom the joke is told   
don't seem to appreciate Diamond's sense of humor and a   
confrontation appears inevitable until Obsidian stands up   
and takes command. At his insistence, Diamond apologizes.   
Apparently satisfied but still appearing somewhat miffed,   
the insulted couple returns to their meal. The dark lord   
then telepaths to his friend that in all reality, he enjoyed   
the joke. Diamond's face breaks out into a sly, satisfied   
grin.  
  
**************************************  
  
A mere inch in diameter, the multi-faceted diamond sphere   
that had once been the heart of a living being was now dull   
and dark, its facets chipped, its luster and inner light   
gone. *Alas, my dear friend, such is the fate of all   
Gemlords, to live eternally young but able to die, our   
spirits locked away in cold, lifeless stone should our   
bodies be destroyed. I alone am the exception, having been   
given the gift of true immortality by the Spirit of Cosmos   
when I was chosen Guardian of the Gateways. Yet even I   
doubted that gift that last, fateful day; when the darkness   
overcame me, I was sure I would never awaken again.  
  
*Yet here I am, whole once more, while you sleep for   
eternity within the crystal of your power. And for what?   
For greed, for power, who knows. I know only that five of   
our own turned on us, leading the forces of Chaos against us   
to gain control of the Vortex Mirror. And where were those   
warriors of justice, the Sailor Senshi, the allies whom   
Queen Serenity promised would come to our aid should a major   
threat against the harmony of the Cosmos ever appear?   
Nowhere! Outnumbered by the Chaotic horde, facing leaders   
who knew our defenses and powers inside-out and overpowered   
by the Seven Shadows, we were slaughtered to a man as we   
foolishly hoped for reinforcements. When Ruby and Sapphire   
fell, leaving only you and me, I knew then that the only way   
to fulfill my duty to the Spirit of Cosmos was to rip the   
Mirror from the physical realm to a place where nothing   
could reach it save that which is brought through the Mirror   
itself.*  
  
Obsidian clenched his hand into a fist around the dead   
soulstone, his face a mask of blistering rage. *I swear, by   
the spirits of each and every one of you who fell defending   
the Obsidian Tower and the sacred Mirror, that I will exact   
revenge on those responsible for your deaths and the   
destruction of our beloved planet,* he vowed. After   
carefully placing the chipped and lusterless diamond on a   
table nearby, Obsidian walked to the center of the circular   
hall.  
  
His handsome face was still grim as he looked down at the   
knotwork mandala woven into the center of the carpet beneath   
his booted feet. His eyes following the intricate loops of   
the pattern in what amounted to a relaxation spell, the dark   
lord let his anger go and centered himself, clearing his   
mind of all thoughts and emotions. Once that was achieved,   
he looked up into the domed ceiling, his deep-brown eyes   
unfocused as he stared through the fresco of the solar   
system painted there. For the first time since his   
reawakening, his rich baritone voice filled the room,   
breaking the silence that permeated the Hall of the Mirror,   
speaking a phrase once taught to him by another Gemlord long   
ago. "The movement of the stars rules everything."  
  
**************************************  
  
The past once again: Obsidian is standing in the center of   
the Hall, looking up, while another man -- who has long,   
dark, reddish-brown hair and wears a casual outfit of   
greenish-white and emerald green -- points upward and   
speaks. "I've imbued the fresco with an essence of my power,   
my lord. Anytime you wish to observe the patterns of the   
past, present or future, you will be able to do so without   
having me by your side. All you have to do is speak the   
triggering phrase I told you and the Orrery will appear."  
  
The dark lord replies, "Thank you, Commander Nephrite. A   
generous gift, indeed."  
  
The other Gemlord turns and faces his leader. The handsome   
man, who would later be one of the invaders under the   
command of the demon-like woman, salutes the Lord of Lithos   
by placing a fist over his heart and bowing. "Think nothing   
of it, my lord. Anything to help fulfill our sacred duty of   
safeguarding the Mirror."  
  
**************************************  
  
The moment the trigger was spoken, the crystal sconces   
dimmed, throwing the domed ceiling into deep shadows.   
Obsidian could feel the slight tingle of old power as the   
planets of the fresco seemed to leap out into the center of   
the darkness and begin their majestic orbits around their   
miniature sun. Glittering sparks appeared in the shadows,   
representations of the constellations within which each   
planet appeared to move. He frowned in guilt when he noticed   
that the Orrery accurately depicted the solar system as it   
now was -- an asteroid belt now filled his beloved   
homeworld's orbit.  
  
Composing himself once more, the dark lord spoke again. "I   
call upon the planets of Saturn, who rules our limitations,   
Uranus, who rules sudden and disruptive change, Neptune, who   
rules the land of dreams and spirit, and Pluto, who rules   
our destruction and regeneration, show me the shadows of the   
past from the time of the death of Lithos to now."  
  
The darkness around the Orrery shimmered, pictures forming   
within its depths. Obsidian's deep-brown eyes narrowed as he   
watched the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, the return of   
the Chaotic power and the resurrection of the Moon Princess,   
Earth Prince and the Inner Senshi, the deaths of the four   
traitorous generals, the second deaths of the Inner Senshi   
and the Earth Prince, the final showdown between the   
demoness and the Moon Princess, and the second resurrection   
of the Senshi, Prince and Princess. He also caught unclear   
images of other Senshi, but found himself still too weak to   
pull the pictures into focus.  
  
The patterns would have continued to dance among the moving   
representations of the solar system, but the dark-haired   
lord had seen enough. With a disgusted shake of his head, he   
dismissed the power of the Orrery. Turning around to face   
the table on which Diamond's soulstone was placed, the   
crystals high above brightening yet again as the vision of   
the planets became once more merely a painting on the   
ceiling, Obsidian mused out loud. "So, the ones truly   
responsible have met their fates at the hands of the   
Princess and her Senshi. And though I was unable to discover   
what role the other Senshi had in the fall of the Silver   
Millennium, there is one thing I know: those Senshi directly   
under Queen Serenity's command were enjoying themselves at a   
masquerade ball while I and my Gemlords were under attack!   
How dare they ignore my pleas for help in defending the   
Vortex Mirror in favor of something as frivolous as that?   
Queen Serenity knew what would happen to the Cosmos should   
the forces of Chaos ever gain control of the Gateway to the   
Worlds, yet she continued on with her idiotic nightly party   
while my people were slaughtered and I destroyed my world.  
  
"I swear I will make them pay for abandoning us," he   
snarled, addressing the cold, gray soulstone. "Somehow I   
will make them regret not answering our call. For Lithos,   
you and all the others, I will have our revenge against the   
Princess and her Senshi, as well as that simpleton Prince   
Darien.  
  
"Protector of the Earth indeed! Had he not been such a   
love-struck fool, always sneaking off with the Princess,   
perhaps he would have noticed the signs of approaching   
danger. Had he informed me that my generals were beginning   
to act in a suspicious manner, I would have recalled them   
immediately and found out what was going on. Instead, he had   
to spend his time either hiding the Princess from the Senshi   
on Earth or hiding from the Senshi on the Moon, never once   
paying attention to what was going on under his nose."  
  
**************************************  
  
A scene from the past: Within a palatial courtyard, Lord   
Obsidian is standing in front of a regal-appearing young man   
with short, black hair who wears black and silver armor and   
a long, scarlet-lined, black cloak. Light glints off the   
formidable sword strapped to the raven-haired man's side.   
Behind the Lord of Lithos stands a bound and gagged, rather   
angry-appearing woman with long, flaming-red hair who is   
surrounded by four others. The person behind the bound   
prisoner is the black- and green-uniformed Lord Nephrite.   
To the prisoner's left stands a serious-looking man with   
short, light blond hair whose black uniform is trimmed in   
golden-yellow while to the tall captive's right is a   
slender, androgynous-appearing man, his long golden-blond   
hair bound into a thick ponytail, his equally sable uniform   
trimming in violet-blue, and his arms crossed. In front of   
the flame-haired criminal, his back to her, stands a tall   
man with long, silver-blond hair, his lithe form clad in a   
matching jet-black uniform trimmed in lavender. In each   
case, the uniform consisted of black nearly knee-high boots,   
black pants that were baggy enough to allow for comfortable   
movement, a well-tailored black jacket, and a nearly   
floor-length cloak pinned to the shoulder by jewel-adorned,   
metal brooches.  
  
"I don't care who gave you the authority, I still don't like   
it, Lord Obsidian," the armored man says, his anger quite   
apparent.  
  
"Forgive my frankness, Your Highness, but you don't have to   
like it," the dark-brown-haired man replies. "You need only   
obey your Sovereign, the Queen. You know as well as I that   
Earth is the only place our Gemlord powers are greatly   
inhibited. Therefore, it's the only place I can exile the   
prisoner and be reasonably sure that she will cause no more   
trouble for anyone."  
  
The Prince slowly shakes his head, his expression stubborn.   
"Any Gemlord, no matter how weak, is a source of potential   
disaster for the mortals in my care. And had you kept a   
better watch on the Vortex Mirror, none of this would be   
necessary."  
  
Obsidian's expression becomes as enraged as that of the   
Prince. "Never before in our long history has any Gemlord   
used the Vortex Mirror without my authority. There was no   
need to be especially vigilant. However, I will not repeat   
my mistake. Nothing happened this time, but I won't give   
her another chance to complete whatever it was she was   
attempting."  
  
"I resent this intrusion into my domain, Lord Obsidian. I   
don't appreciate my planet being used as a jail," the Prince   
insists.  
  
"It's not a choice, Darien, it's a command from Queen   
Serenity herself. Are you willing to shatter the peace of   
the Silver Millennium over this?" the Lord of Lithos asks.  
  
"No," Prince Darien quietly admits, his posture becoming one   
of defeat. "But I want more than just your word that she'll   
cause no trouble among my natives, Obsidian. She's one of   
yours, therefore she's your responsibility."  
  
The dark lord considers the Prince's demand for a moment. "A   
reasonable request," he finally says. Snapping his fingers,   
he calls, "Commander Kunzite!"  
  
The tall, lavender-cloaked Gemlord steps forward. Placing   
his fist over his heart and giving a slight bow, he   
inquires, "My lord?"  
  
"You, Lord Nephrite, Lord Zoisite and Lord Jadeite will   
remain here on Earth as the criminal's jailers. I'm placing   
the four of you under Prince Darien's personal command; you   
will obey him as you would obey me."  
  
"My lord, I must protest," the golden-blond-haired man in   
violet-blue interrupts, his strident voice sounding full of   
contempt. "To be stationed here on this backwater mudball   
among a horde of stinking primitives--"  
  
Obsidian whirls around, obviously livid with rage. "You dare   
question my authority and insult our host all in the same   
breath, Commander Zoisite? Must I remind you of your proper   
place?"  
  
"Please, my lord, let me speak to him about it," Kunzite   
hastily pleads. In the next instant, he bows in obeisance to   
Prince Darien. "Your Highness, I beg your forgiveness on   
behalf of us all. Zoey's still relatively young for a   
Gemlord and rather impulsive."  
  
As Prince Darien nods his acceptance of the silver-haired   
Gemlord's apology, Obsidian sighs. "Very well," the dark   
lord responds. "I shall dismiss his outburst this time.   
However, Lord Commander Kunzite, it shall be your   
responsibility to see that he learns how to properly address   
his superiors. I don't want him starting an interplanetary   
incident." Noticing the expression of relief that crosses   
the lavender-clothed man's handsome face, Obsidian telepaths   
to him to watch it where Lord Zoisite was concerned, that he   
must not be allowed to cause unrest on Earth. Kunzite bows   
again, telepathing his acknowledgment.  
  
"So where do you plan on incarcerating her? I want as little   
contact as possible with the mortals," the black-cloaked   
Prince asks, his attention focusing on Obsidian once more.  
  
"An underground cavern on an island near Earth's North   
Magnetic Pole should work the best. There are few natives   
there and the intense magnetic field will inhibit her powers   
the most. With my commanders stationed here to assist you   
in watching over her, I believe the prisoner can be locked   
up safely," the Lord of Lithos responds.  
  
Prince Darien stands there a moment, a thoughtful expression   
on his noble face. "Fine. You may report back to our Queen   
that all shall be done as commanded."  
  
**************************************  
  
Looking up from where he had been staring at the lusterless   
stone, Obsidian's deep-brown gaze froze on the window   
through which he'd retrieved it. Recalling the oppressive   
barrenness of the landscape beyond, he spoke out loud once   
more. "If that which lies beyond the Tower cannot be the   
blue skies and emerald fields of the Lithos I loved so well,   
then I wish to never look outside these walls again.   
Obsidian Power Magnify!"  
  
At the sound of the triggering phrase, the dark-glassed   
Mirror behind the Lord of Lithos began to glow. In response,   
Obsidian's own greenish-black aura began to shine as well,   
steadily becoming stronger. Once the eerie deep-green light   
around the tall Gemlord was bright enough to fill the Hall,   
the Mirror became dark, shining no more.  
  
He stood there a moment, head bowed and eyes closed,   
delicately balancing the energy from the Mirror with his   
own, fine-tuning his control. Satisfied, he then flung his   
arms out to either side, letting the power go.  
  
Twin beams of dark-green light erupted from his palms,   
striking the black wall. Absorbing the energy, the stone   
began to glow. As more power poured into it, the deep-green   
glow began to spread until the entire surface was covered   
with the light, including the areas where the windows were.   
Then, abruptly, the beams were gone, all of the energy   
having been transferred to the Tower itself.  
  
Pale and shaken, Obsidian dropped his arms and fell to a   
knee. Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he   
thought, *I seem to be a bit out of practice.* By the time   
he had regained his composure, the radiance had all but   
vanished from the obsidian wall. Looking around, a grim   
smile crossed his handsome face. Where the windows had once   
been was now black stone; all of the openings in the Tower   
to the world outside had been sealed. *There,* he thought.   
*No more shall I see what you've become. Instead, I shall   
always remember you as you were.*  
  
Rising once more to his booted feet, he crossed the carpeted   
floor to where the Vortex Mirror stood. Waving an arm in a   
graceful arc before the dark glass, Obsidian's voice intoned   
a phrase well-known to him. "Great Mirror of the Vortex, to   
whom all routes are open and no place unknown, show me the   
area where Lithos would be if it still existed."  
  
The Mirror began to shimmer again, a softer, more muted   
light. The unearthly polish of the dark glass's   
eerily-smooth surface began to ripple, like the wind-kissed   
water of a still lake. Obsidian's reflection became   
distorted, then disappeared altogether, leaving behind a   
vision of star-spangled space. After clearing his mind of   
all thought, the dark lord stepped through the shimmering,   
liquid-like, black glass.  
  
He reappeared out in space, his dark cloak and long,   
dark-brown hair billowing in the solar wind. Made immortal   
by the Spirit of Cosmos itself, the vacuum of space had no   
effect on him. In fact, there had been times in his past   
where he'd gone out into the void in order to enjoy the   
peace, silence and awesome grandeur that was Creation.   
Glancing around, he noticed that he was floating in the   
midst of an asteroid field. A scowl darkened his expression   
when he realized that they were probably the pitiful remains   
of his homeworld. Looking outward beyond the asteroids, he   
saw the shining red light of Mars, the sapphire star that   
was Earth and, brighter than anything else, the golden glow   
of the Sun.  
  
He closed his deep-brown eyes to the awe-inspiring sight,   
concentrating instead on expanding his psychic awareness.   
With every heartbeat, his mind reached further out,   
encompassing more and more of the space within the solar   
system. Finally, inevitably, he achieved his goal; from   
Pluto's majestic orbit all the way to the Sun and back out   
to Pluto's orbit again, he could sense the patterns of   
matter and energy from which the star and planets were made.   
With the music of the spheres singing in heart, mind and   
soul, Obsidian raised a hand high and sent out a special   
Call to all the Gemlords of Lithos, one they could not deny   
be they dead or alive.  
  
One by one they came, streaking through space like miniature   
comets from wherever they'd been floating abandoned and   
forgotten in order to orbit around their Lord. At first   
dozens -- then hundreds -- of cold, lifeless stones, each   
one a smooth or faceted sphere an inch across, circled the   
dark-clothed man as he continued his Call, determined to   
bring them all home. A few more straggled in, joining the   
swirling kaleidoscope of muted colors, but eventually there   
came no more.  
  
Obsidian continued his Call a moment longer, an odd feeling   
deep within that there was one left who resisted. But the   
sensation was borderline at best. *Perhaps I'm mistaken,* he   
thought, dropping his arm and pulling himself out of his   
trance. Opening his eyes, he saw the whirling spheres that   
surrounded him. Holding his hands out in front of himself,   
he formed a greenish-black orb of energy between his palms.   
One at a time, the orbiting soulstones spiraled into the   
globe, nestling against one another as the ball was filled.   
Once they were all collected, the dark lord took a moment to   
silently address what remained of the Gemlords of Lithos.   
*Forgive me, lords and ladies, my friends nearly one and   
all. I never meant to abandon you to the cold nothingness of   
space, but I myself have only just recovered from the   
disaster that overtook us. Let me now honor your heroic   
sacrifices on my behalf by taking you home to rest within   
the Obsidian Tower.* Bowing his head and closing his eyes in   
order to concentrate on his power once more, he then   
silently cried the trigger-phrase. *Obsidian Mirror Return!*  
  
In response, the large oval-shaped obsidian on his golden   
belt buckle began to shine, its mirror-like surface taking   
on a watery sheen identical to that of the Vortex Mirror.   
His dark aura began to shine as well, the shimmering light   
causing the outline of his form to ripple and flow. Then, in   
a flash, he disappeared.  
  
Back in the circular Hall atop the Tower, the dark liquid   
sheen continued to dance across the Mirror's face. Without   
warning, a pair of hands, between which floated a   
greenish-black ball of light, emerged from the Mirror,   
sending waves across the sparkling surface. The hands were   
quickly followed by the rest of Obsidian's tall form as he   
stepped back through the Mirror into the Hall. While he   
walked forward into the center of the circular carpet,   
behind him the Mirror became smooth and dark once more, its   
highly-polished surface now reflecting the contents of the   
room.  
  
Stopping in the middle of the knotwork pattern of the carpet   
and letting his hands fall to either side, the dark lord   
watched as the energy sphere rose upward on its own. Once it   
had reached a height level with the crystal sconces, the orb   
began to spin. The soulstones left the globe in the same   
manner they entered it, spiraling outward one at a time,   
then floated gently downward, joining Diamond's soulstone on   
the table below.  
  
The entire process only took a matter of minutes. When it   
was done, the entire tabletop lay covered with round,   
lusterless stones loosely grouped together by color.   
Obsidian stepped forward then, looking down at what remained   
of his entire race. He felt the profound grief he'd been   
suppressing well up from beneath his iron-willed control;   
for a moment, he was sure he would break down beneath the   
weight of the emotional burden. But then his deep-brown gaze   
locked on a pair of stones, and it was anger that filled him   
instead.  
  
The soulstones that had caught the dark lord's eye were   
unremarkable compared to the others. Both of them were   
faceted stones and, like the others, they were chipped and   
lifeless. Sitting side by side, looking innocent enough,   
their dimmed colors complemented one another; one was   
violet-pink, the other violet blue. But Obsidian could sense   
the flaws deep inside that marred what little remained of   
their beauty.  
  
A bitter smile flickered across Obsidian's face. "I suppose   
I should've known that you would have had to answer my Call   
as well as the others," he mused out loud. "So tell me,   
Kunzite, did you ever learn what was happening around you   
before it was too late? Or did you willingly join the   
traitor when offered the choice?  
  
"And I suppose it was you, Zoisite, who first turned to   
Beryl's side. After all, you were quite insulted by the last   
assignment I gave you.  
  
"However, it matters not. Both of you have paid for your   
past treachery. Just be thankful that I choose to do no   
more."  
  
Seeing the soulstones of the pair of traitors, however, made   
the Lord of Lithos curious. Scanning the tabletop carefully,   
he ticked off names in his head, a momentary flash of that   
lord or lady appearing in his mind as he thought their   
names. When he was through with his impromptu roll-call, he   
realized that there were three still missing.  
  
*Now where--?* he asked himself, walking away. Pacing back   
and forth across the knotwork pattern, Obsidian reviewed the   
visions of the Orrery in his mind. *Of course!* he thought,   
snapping his fingers. *At least two of them will be there.*  
  
With quick, graceful strides, he stood before the Mirror   
again. Passing his hand over its surface, he intoned the   
trigger-phrase once more. "Great Mirror of the Vortex, to   
whom all routes are open and no place unknown, show me that   
area of the Negaverse where Beryl and Jadeite sleep."  
  
This time, the watery image in the glowing glass was one of   
unrelenting darkness covered by a glittering gossamer   
curtain of silver light. But when Obsidian placed his hand   
on the shimmering surface, it stayed there instead of going   
through. "Huh? What's this?" he said out loud, surprise   
evident in his rich baritone voice. He tried again, but no   
matter how hard he pushed on the Mirror or concentrated on   
the image, his hand remained flat on the rippling glass.  
  
Stepping back, he glared at the image shown in the Mirror.   
With a sudden intuitive flash, he knew what was wrong. *The   
seal put on the Negaverse by the Imperium Silver Crystal,*   
he thought. *That's what that curtain of light is I see.*  
  
He took a couple more steps back. *No pathway lies closed to   
the Vortex Mirror and its Guardian,* Obsidian seethed. His   
jaw set in determination, he continued his thoughts. *The   
Silver Crystal may be the focus on the infinite Energy of   
the Universe, but the Mirror rules infinite Space. By the   
Law of Cosmos itself, no place is unreachable to me. In   
this, my power is supreme; I shall not be denied!* Bracing   
his legs apart, his arms raised in front of himself with his   
palms facing the Mirror, the dark lord yelled a   
trigger-phrase, tapping further into the power of the Mirror   
with each word. "Obsidian... Power... *Magnify*!"  
  
Both the Mirror and the Gemlord began glowing at Obsidian's   
first sound, each word after that causing the twin auras to   
brightened significantly more. With the last shout still   
echoing through the Hall, a thick, swirling beam of   
deep-green energy erupted from his outstretched hands.   
Striking the dark glass and rippling its liquid surface, the   
power disappeared.  
  
Beyond the Mirror, however, Obsidian could feel his power   
continue to be blocked by the Silver Crystal's barrier.   
Moment by moment, he steadily increased the pressure, until   
deep-green light shone throughout the circular room and   
Obsidian's cloak and hair were blown back by the force of   
the beam. With a final explosive "Ha!", he threw everything   
he had left at the barrier all at once. As he collapsed to   
the ground, the dark light abruptly blinked out and the   
silver seal around the Negaverse shattered into a million   
shimmering pieces. Then they too faded into nothingness.  
  
**************************************  
  
Far away, in another dimension, on a small, watery world   
known as Earth, a teen-age girl lay stomach-down on her   
frilly pink-and-white bed. With one foot on the bedspread   
and the other lazily waving in the air, her head resting on   
slender hands, she was concentrating on the comic book lying   
in front of her. Shiny blond hair, worn in a pair of   
ponytails so long that she had to consistantly twist some of   
her hair up into spherical buns on top of her head in order   
to keep them from dragging on the ground, spilled from her   
head to lie all over the lace-trimmed cover. Near her foot,   
curled up on a pink-covered pillow, a black cat with a   
remarkable spot of white fur -- it looked just like a   
crescent moon with horns pointing upward -- on its forehead   
lay watching as the teen flipped a page.  
  
All around them, the girl's room showed signs of that   
transition from child to adult all teen-agers underwent.   
Dolls and stuffed animals on shelves shared the wall with   
unicorn posters and a school calendar. And the   
pink-and-white frills of a young girl's bedroom were   
balanced by the cosmetics that were lined up on top of the   
dresser in front of the mirror.  
  
"Honestly, Serena," the black cat said in a very   
human-sounding, female voice. "Shouldn't you be studying   
instead of reading that?"  
  
The blond teen kept perusing the comic, unperturbed. For   
her, talking cats were a part of everyday life. "Don't   
worry, Luna," she replied, blue eyes still glued to the   
colorful pages. "I've got loads of time. There's still three   
days before my next test. Besides, I've just gotta see how   
Sailor V gets outta this mess."  
  
Sighing deeply, the dark cat slowly shook her head. "I wish  
ou were as involved with real Sailor business as you are   
all this made-up stuff."  
  
"Quiet, Luna. I'm trying to read. Ooooh! This is the good   
part... Get him, Sailor V! Toast that slimeball! OWWW!"  
  
At Serena's unexpected cry, Luna quickly jumped into a   
standing position. Seeing the slender girl roll onto her   
right side, curling up and clutching her stomach with both   
arms, the feline advisor became alarmed. "Serena! What's   
wrong?"  
  
"Oww! I don't know! It feels like someone's inside tryin' to   
make me explode," the teen-ager moaned, rocking back and   
forth.  
  
"Well, it couldn't have been those two ice cream cones and   
three candy bars you had for an after-school snack," the   
midnight-furred cat said, her voice puzzled, as she walked   
over to look at Serena's agonized face. "You've eaten much   
worse and never had a problem before."  
  
"Very... funny... Luna. I'll remember this... next time...   
you're sick. Owwwww! Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop!"  
  
"I wish I could, but I haven't got a clue," Luna replied.   
She was still looking down at Serena's curled-up form, panic   
starting to fill her, when her keen feline ears suddenly   
caught the distinctive sound of breaking crystal. "Did you   
hear that?"  
  
"Yeah. Sounded like somethin' broke," the slender blond   
answered. She suddenly bolted upright on the bed. "Hey! The   
pain's gone!"  
  
"It is?"  
  
"Strange," Serena mused. "It went away so fast, it was   
almost like someone flipped a switch and shut it off."  
  
"I've got a bad feeling about this. Why did the pain go away   
when we heard that sound?"  
  
The teen-aged girl shrugged. "Ya got me."  
  
"And that noise was most definitely the sound of shattering   
crystal."  
  
"But that's impossible, Luna. The only thing I have in here   
that's crystal is--" Serena stopped in mid-sentence, blue   
eyes going wide in alarm. Bounding from the bed, her long   
ponytails flying, she rushed over to her maple dresser.   
Pulling open drawers, she frantically searched through   
stacks of neatly-folded clothes until she finally laid a   
hand on what she was looking for. A look of triumph on her   
pretty face, Serena pulled the object out.  
  
It was an ordinary-appearing brooch, solid gold with a   
five-pointed star etched on the surface. But what she wanted   
to see was inside. With a practiced flip of her wrist, she   
flicked open the golden case. Nestled inside was a colorless   
crystal.  
  
A multi-faceted sphere of awe-inspiring beauty and unearthly   
clarity, the silver-sheened stone caught the sunlight   
filtering in through the bedroom window, turning the light   
into thousands of tiny, radiant, shimmering rainbows.   
Inspecting the dazzling sight carefully, Serena was about to   
put it away in relief when a chance turn of her hand caused   
the crystal to lose much of its sparkle. *Huh?* she thought   
as she peered closer at the suddenly visible shadow in the   
heart of the stone. "Oh, no. How did this happen?"  
  
"How did what happen?" Luna asked, nimbly leaping from the   
bed to the top of the ransacked dresser.  
  
The blond teen held up the locket so that her advisor could   
see the crystal within. "It's broken, Luna. There's a crack   
deep inside that wasn't there before. But I didn't think   
anything could harm the Imperium Silver Crystal except for   
the wielder herself. And I've been so careful!" she whined.  
  
"I don't think it's anything you did," the black feline   
reassured. Sitting down and thinking over the events of the   
last few minutes, her tail whipping from side to side in   
slight agitation, Luna stared at the deep-green shadow   
inside the Crystal. *For some reason, that color reminds me   
of something.* Twitching her whiskers in annoyance at not   
having a better memory, Luna added, "If you want my opinion,   
I'd say that somehow the Imperium Silver Crystal was   
attacked by something and that the pain you felt was that   
attack."  
  
Serena's eyes grew wider. "Attacked? How? I thought the   
Crystal was the most powerful thing in the Universe."  
  
"In its own element of energy patterns and the flow of   
energy within the Universe, the Imperium Silver Crystal is   
unmatched. But there are other things that are just as   
powerful in their own way."  
  
"Oh? Like what?"  
  
"Never mind, Serena. Just take my word for it that there are   
other items out there that represent various aspects of the   
Law of Cosmos. What bothers me is that whatever cracked the   
Crystal is either something almost as powerful as the   
Crystal itself -- or it's one of those other items. Either   
way, I don't like this one bit."  
  
"Do you think there's trouble ahead?" the slender girl   
asked.  
  
"I wish I knew," the cat finally replied.  
  
**************************************  
  
Back in the pocket-sized dimension where the Obsidian Tower   
was now located, the dark lord slowly rose to his feet.   
Still weary from the enormous burden of power he'd   
channeled, Obsidian took the time to shake off the worst   
effects before approaching the Vortex Mirror again. The   
image in the Mirror's rippling surface was now clear; it   
showed a shadowy cavern similar to that one on Earth in   
which he'd imprisoned the rebel Gemlord Beryl long ago.   
Frowning at that realization, Obsidian stepped into the   
Mirror. This time, he slipped through with ease.  
  
Once in the Negaverse cavern, the Lord of Lithos drew his   
blackish-green cloak closer around his tall form. Cold and   
forbidding, the eerily-illuminated stone seemed to suck up   
his warmth. He could smell the malignant scent of Chaos in   
the air. *How appropriate,* he thought to himself as he   
started searching the cavern with his psychic powers.  
  
Something registered on his heightened senses. Curious, he   
strode over to where the sensation had come. Looking at the   
sight, Obsidian couldn't help but smile in grim   
satisfaction.  
  
Up against a thick stalagmite leaned a transparent crystal,   
a lone figure frozen inside. The person was a   
youthful-appearing man with short, wavy, light-blond hair.   
Wearing a gray uniform, the imprisoned male appeared frozen   
in an attitude of pleading horror, one arm upraised to ward   
off a power he couldn't resist. Obsidian put a hand on the   
clear crystal, sensing the energy patterns within. *So,* he   
silently said. *You sleep within a construct only Beryl can   
remove. And if the construct's destroyed by other means,   
you'll instantly die. An interesting quandary indeed.*  
  
He cast out with his mind again, searching for the other two   
soulstones still unaccounted for. One of those two he knew   
would be here somewhere, but the second one's location   
remained a mystery. Not finding either one in the immediate   
area, the dark lord sent out his special Call.  
  
Only a single soulstone came in response, a deep red sphere   
whose facets were full of flashing fire. Startled, Obsidian   
realized that he was looking upon not a dead Gemlord but one   
in a comatose state. Mind reeling, he reached up and grabbed   
the floating stone -- then instantly let it go with a shout   
of shock and disgust.  
  
The spirit within the stone may have been that of Beryl   
once, but nothing now remained of that rebellious, ambitious   
Gemlord. Instead, the soulstone housed a spirit of pure   
Chaos, lying dormant and slowly recovering strength, waiting   
for the time for it to reawaken and spread destruction   
again.  
  
As a guardian of the Cosmos, Chaos was Obsidian's mortal   
enemy. His duty to the Universe was clear -- no matter what,   
he could not suffer an agent of Chaos gaining a foothold   
within the Universe itself. So long as Beryl's physical   
remains existed, the sleeping Chaotic spirit had a way to   
become active and terrorize physical reality. Without   
another thought, the Lord of Lithos grabbed the dark stone   
once more. Then, in a fluid move strengthened by his   
greenish-black energy, he dashed the soulstone to the   
ground, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. As the   
deep ruby shards skidded across the cavern's stone floor,   
their color fading into dull reddish-gray, Obsidian thought   
he saw a shadowy mist rise up from the point of impact. But   
the vision was quickly gone, so the dark lord dismissed it   
from his mind.  
  
Nearby, another crash of shattering crystal echoed in the   
oppressive cavern. Glancing over at the transparent prison,   
Obsidian dispassionately watched as the colorless fragments   
melted away, letting the blond man's body fall to the   
ground. Then that also disappeared, leaving behind a smooth   
sphere of glowing orangish-yellow. As he picked up the   
soulstone and cupped it in his hand, the dark lord caught a   
momentary flash from the spirit within before the stone   
became lifeless yellowish-gray. Mildly surprised, the Lord   
of Lithos commented out loud, "My forgiveness, Jadeite?   
Perhaps one day. But for now, you can lie within the   
stillness of death with both your victims and your   
conspirators." Clenching his fist around the stone, Obsidian   
looked around the frigid, shadowy cave.  
  
*Strange,* he thought, thinking back to the feeling of   
resistance he'd felt during his first Call. *I didn't truly   
expect him here, since the Orrery showed him dying on Earth,   
yet he shouldn't have been able to ignore my summons.*   
Shrugging his worry aside, he continued, *Well, no matter.   
It's a loose end I shall deal with in time. Obsidian Mirror   
Return!*  
  
Once back in the familiar, comfortable surroundings of the   
Obsidian Tower, the dark lord walked over to the   
stone-covered table and set Jadeite's soulstone down next to   
those of Kunzite and Zoisite. With Beryl's stone destroyed,   
only one traitor remained at large.  
  
Obsidian scowled, unwilling to let that fact distract him.   
*No, forget about not finding him. Now is the time to   
concentrate on a way to make the Senshi pay for abandoning   
us. I have only enough energy left to resurrect one of you.   
Since the Mirror's ability to gather power is severely   
hampered by being cut off from the rest of the Universe, it   
may be a long time before I'm able to bring back another.   
Which one of you should I recall to my side so that we may   
punish the Senshi?*  
  
  



	2. Second Chance

SECOND CHANCE  
  
  
As the frigid darkness closed in, the last sound he heard was a teen-aged girl's heart-wrenching sobs. *Poor, brave, foolish soul,* he cynically thought. *You should've known life's nothing but bitter disappointment.*  
  
He felt as if he was floating in nothingness, all sensation save that of his own existence stripped from his awareness. *Is this, then, that which lies beyond? Drifting for eternity with only one's thoughts? If only...*  
  
He then became aware of something new. Looking outward beyond himself, he saw a single, brilliant star shining in the void. Unable to look away, he watched as the light grew larger and brighter, a gracefully-slender butterfly-winged form appearing in the heart of the star. *Who are you?* he asked.  
  
*I am the light of hope and love,* was the reply, the soft, feminine voice sounding strangely familiar.  
  
*Love and hope are for fools and weaklings,* he harshly responded.  
  
*Then which are you?* the shining figure asked.  
  
*Neither. I have little tolerance for such idiocy.*  
  
*If that's true, then why do you yearn to return to Earth?*  
  
*To avenge myself against that double-crossing witch,* he growled. *How dare she turn on me!*  
  
The winged figure of light laughed, a sound that reminded him of tinkling bells. *How little you must know yourself if you believe that that's what burns in your soul.* With a wave of her glittering hand, the butterfly-winged angel caused a scene to appear.  
  
A slender blond girl, long hair in twin ponytails that emerged from spherical buns atop her head, became visible. Wearing a short-skirted sailor suit that included knee-high red boots and elbow-long white gloves, the pretty teen-ager stood holding another girl similar in age, trying to comfort the sobbing red-head. Dressed in ripped pajamas and clutching a strip apparently torn from her top, the weeping girl was saying, "If only I'd been stronger. I know I could've saved him."  
  
Overcome by odd, sickening sensations as he gazed at the angel's vision of the heart-broken red-head, he forced himself to turn away. *Enough!* he cried, unable to handle the unfamiliar emotions.  
  
With another wave of her hand, the shimmering figure dismissed the scene.  
  
Defeated, he said, *All right! I admit it. I want to go back so she can smile once more. I want to be able to keep her safe from harm. She's been hurt enough, much of it at my own hands. But it's a futile desire at best, nothing more than dreams and stardust. The stars have spoken -- the thread of my life is at its end.*  
  
*Ah, yes. That's right,* the gossamer angel replied. *You were Nephrite, the Gemlord gifted with the power of the stars.*  
  
*And if there's one thing I know, it's that destiny is destiny -- incapable of changing, incapable of caring. The movement of the stars rules everything; all things must bow to their will,* he said.  
  
*Is that then your excuse for the evil you've spread? That you were fated to betray your duty as a Gemlord of Lithos and become Beryl's minion?*  
  
*I have done as fate has commanded, as have all who live,* he asserted.  
  
*There are forces that go beyond destiny, Nephrite. And of them all, love is the most powerful. With love, all things are possible, all destinies may be denied. Had you learned that, perhaps you could've changed much of the weave of your life.*  
  
The shining figure continued, *However, I am here now, called to you by the spark within yourself, offering you a second chance. But before you choose, I must warn you. There is much for which you must atone, many lessons you have yet to learn. Accept your fate as it now stands, and you will remain here, going on to wherever Gemlord souls go. Decide to transcend that which was destined, then you will return with a long, hard task ahead. Each day will be a struggle and each lesson must be learned. Should you die again before your atonement has been completed, then your soul will cease to exist.*  
  
*So I'm offered a choice between an existence robbed of all awareness, my soul sleeping perhaps forever within the stone of my power unless Lord Obsidian decides to awaken me, or return to life in all its pain and glory, under obligation to redeem myself from the evil I caused and facing the extinction of all that I am should I fail,* Nephrite thought. *A serious choice indeed.*  
  
Think well before you decide, the angel of light admonished. *Once made, it cannot be undone.*  
  
However, Nephrite had already made up his mind, an image of the weeping, red-haired girl floating through his thoughts. *No matter the challenge, no matter the price, I wish to return.*  
  
*Very well, return you shall. The first lessons you must learn are empathy and humility. For centuries you have flaunted your powers, oppressing those weaker than you and viewing your victims with cruelty and contempt only because they had abilities that couldn't rival your own. Therefore, when you return to Earth, you will be limited to those strengths and weaknesses inherent in a human's body,* the angel sternly informed him.  
  
*But if my powers are gone, I won't be able to keep my promise to Molly, nor will I be able to protect her from harm,* Nephrite protested.  
  
The shimmering, butterfly-winged figure reached out, and the Gemlord felt a sensation that seemed to be a warm hand on his forehead. *Had you complained for your benefit alone, you would've begun with a perilous start indeed. However, since it is true concern for another that motivated your words, two concessions shall be made. Should danger ever threaten the one for whom you care, call upon the power of your stone and your abilities will be restored for as long as the danger remains.  
  
*Secondly, when you return, you shall be as you were before the final day of your life, but for twelve Earth hours only. Use your time well, for when it expires, you will become locked inside a human form.*  
  
For a moment, Nephrite floated there, too overwhelmed by unfamiliar emotions to form a coherent thought. Finally, however, he was able to put words to the gratitude he felt. *Thank you, kind spirit, for all that you've done.*  
  
*Don't thank me, Gemlord,* the glowing angel replied, fading away. *Thank Molly. Had she not had enough faith in you to awaken a spark within your soul, you would never have been given this second chance. Remember, your fate now lies within your own hands, not the realm of the stars.* Just before she disappeared entirely, Nephrite thought he saw her true form. For just a flash, he looked into Queen Serenity's grave face.  
  
*************************************  
  
With a sudden start, he awoke, jade-green eyes abruptly opening. Once more he could feel a body around himself and hear the song of the stars within his blood. Looking upward and seeing a familiar ceiling high above, Nephrite realized that he was lying on the floor of his headquarters, light streaming through the chapel's stained-glass windows. Sitting up, he moved his right elbow around in a circular motion; no stiffness or pain hindered the movement. There now were no signs of the injuries he'd sustained before his death.  
  
Rising to his booted feet, he automatically tugged his uniform's gray coat back into place before he stopped himself, realizing that he still wore the uniform of a Negaverse warrior. With a feeling of disgust, he walked out of the chapel.  
  
He strode through the huge, spooky mansion, never once halting until he reached the library. Standing before the impressive stone fireplace and noticing that he had set it for a fire before he'd left, he raised a hand and pointed at the grate within. A thin, laser-like beam of greenish-silver light shot out of his extended finger, kindling the paper and wood.  
  
The moment the fire appeared capable of sustaining itself, Nephrite stripped down to his undergarments. Setting the boots aside and removing the brooches -- whose stones had reverted to their original jade-green color -- from the shoulders of his coat, the reddish-brown-haired man then threw the gray uniform into the fire. Firelight danced off his handsome face and long hair as he dispassionately watched the cloth go up in smoke.  
  
Slipping on the knee-high black boots and glancing down at the golden brooches in his hand, Nephrite's deep voice intoned, "I call upon the powers of my stone. Restore to me the appearance I had as a Gemlord of Lithos."  
  
Greenish-silver light shone around Nephrite's athletic form, momentarily distorting his outline. When it disappeared, he stood there, dressed in the outfit he'd worn long ago. Emerald-green pants were tucked into his tall boots and a greenish-white tunic trimmed in silver and emerald-green covered his trunk. On his broad shoulders were the brooches, holding in place a knee-length cape of emerald-green lined with silver. On his brow -- beneath his wavy, reddish-brown locks -- was a silver circlet, a single cabochon of deep green nephrite jade in its center.  
  
*Twelve hours,* he thought as he walked back the way he'd come. *Not much time.* Entering the chapel once more, which was the only room in the old mansion with a high enough ceiling for what he planned to do, he looked up toward the sparkling rose window. As he centered himself, the atmosphere within the soaring chamber changed to gloom and shadow. An inky darkness filled the air, sucking up most of the light streaming in through the stained-glass windows. At Nephrite's trigger-phrase, "The movement of the stars rules everything," a model of the solar system appeared within the darkness, accurately showing the Gemlord the planets' movements around the Sun. He opened his mouth to speak the next phrase, then paused -- unsure what to do -- when he realized that he could no longer feel the dark energy of the Negaforce coursing through him. Instead, the only energy that sparkled through his soul was that from his gemstone and the stars.  
  
Falling back on memories from long ago, Nephrite continued, "I call upon the mighty Zodiac, you twelve who oversee all the affairs of life, show me what has transpired since the day of my death." He couldn't help shuddering at his last two words.  
  
A thin beam of silver light shot forth from the miniature Sun, striking the jade on the Gemlord's forehead. His eyes momentarily glowing with an eerie green light as the patterns of the past became clear, Nephrite silently watched the events unfold.  
  
The search for the Rainbow Crystals and the defeat of the Seven Shadows. Zoisite's execution. The reawakening of the Moon Princess and the reconstruction of the Imperium Silver Crystal. The corruption of Tuxedo Mask, now known to be the reincarnation of the Earth Prince Darien. The death of Kunzite at the hands of Sailor Moon. The deaths of the Inner Senshi as they cleared the way for a final confrontation. The freeing and death of Prince Darien. The defeat of Queen Beryl and the resealing of the Negaverse by Princess Serena with the help of the spirits of her Senshi. The resurrection and return to normal life of the prince, princess and Senshi. The coming to Earth of a pair of aliens, searching for energy. The reawakening of the Sailors as they dealt with the troubles caused by the aliens. The coming of the Moonlight Knight. The defeat of the aliens, their hope of a new and better life, and the reunion of Prince Darien's soul. Then, just as the visions were fading away, Nephrite caught a glimpse of a tall, dark-glassed mirror glowing with a blackish-green light.  
  
He stood there a moment longer, still looking upward, trying to let the information he'd received sink in. High above, the model of the solar system continued to mark out the planetary movements as he slowly shook his head. *So much has happened. So much has changed. Too bad about Zoisite,* he thought, a cold, wicked smile on his face. *I really wanted a chance at that witch myself.*  
  
His dark desire for revenge thwarted, Nephrite turned his thoughts to the other matter he found pressing. "I call upon the planets Venus, who rules partnerships, harmony and cooperation, and Mars, ruler of energy and passion, show me the location of Molly Baker."  
  
A new vision appeared within his mind. A sweet-looking teen-aged girl, wearing a blue and white sailor-like school uniform, was sitting on a park bench. A gentle breeze stirred her medium-length, bright red hair -- some of which was pulled back with a blue bow -- as she gazed out at the trees and absently swung her legs back and forth. With a start, Nephrite realized that he was looking at the same park -- nearly the exact same spot -- where he'd been attacked.  
  
With a long sigh, he let the vision of the stars fade away. *She seems well enough,* he told himself as the chapel brightened considerably. *Perhaps I should just leave her be.* But then a memory flashed through his mind, of Molly saying that her dream was to go out and have a chocolate parfait with him. He closed his eyes, an expression of pain on his handsome face, as he fought back the torrent of strong, unfamiliar emotions the memory provoked. *No, I can't let it be. I still want to do that for her. I realize now that making her little dream come true was the real reason I needed to come back. But I don't want to hurt her anymore, either. If I show up now, all I can do is disappoint her again since I won't be the same person she loved once the time limit expires.*  
  
With a growl of irritation, Nephrite opened his jade-green eyes, his jaw set in determination. *To hell with it,* he decided. *I have to see her, come what may. Perhaps if I went as someone else...* Fixing an image in his mind, he threw a hand up in the air.  
  
A burst of greenish-silver light erupted from his hand, raining down a shower of glittering sparkles over his athletic form and obscuring his outline. When the twinkling sparks disappeared, another young man stood in Nephrite's place. Dressed in sneakers, jeans and a loose-fitting T-shirt, his hair now short, straight and blond, his eyes now colored golden-brown, the Gemlord's disguised form looked nothing like his true self. With a nod of satisfaction, he teleported.  
  
*************************************  
  
*I wonder what's keeping Serena so long?* the red-headed teen thought as she continued to swing her feet. Another gust of wind blew across her, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. Scanning the park one more time with her slate-blue eyes, she sighed. *I hope she didn't forget that we were supposed to meet here today.*  
  
Just then, a low, quiet voice interrupted the girl's thoughts. "Excuse me, would you mind if I joined you?"  
  
Startled, the red-head looked over at where the sound had come from. Seeing a young blond man -- apparently in his early twenties -- standing there at the end of the bench, the girl replied, "Sure, go ahead." She then scooted down to the other end, making room. As she straightened out her blue skirt, the newcomer gave her a slight nod of thanks and sat down.  
  
For a long moment they sat there in silence, looking out into the wooded greenery. Finally, the man spoke. "Nice weather we're having."  
  
The teen-ager blinked in surprise. Glancing up through the trees at the overcast sky, smelling the scent of possible rain in the wind, the red-haired girl thought his comment was strange indeed.  
  
Next to her, the blond stranger waited for her reply. Getting none, he narrowed his golden-brown eyes in annoyance. "So, do you come here often?"  
  
The girl nervously swallowed. *Something about him just doesn't seem right,* she thought. Deciding to go ahead and answer for civility's sake alone, she said, "Actually, no. I try to stay away. But I'm supposed to meet someone here today."  
  
"Really? Who?" the man asked, an icy undercurrent creeping into his voice.  
  
Astonished at his tone, the teen-ager turned slate-blue eyes on him. Despite his apparently annoyed voice, the expression on his good-looking face was only one of mild curiosity. "My best friend Serena. She and I are going to go shopping," she replied, carefully watching the stranger's face. Seeing something flicker deep within his eyes, she asked, "Do you know Serena?"  
  
The blond man shook his head. Looking aside, an unreadable expression on his face, he answered, "No, never had the pleasure of meeting her."  
  
Huh? the redhead thought. For just a split-second, there seemed to be something very familiar about him in the way he narrowed his eyes and set his jaw. But then his expression changed, and with it disappeared the feeling of familiarity. Confused, the girl began scanning the park grounds again.  
  
After another few moments of silence, the blond stranger spoke once more. "You said that you tended to stay away from here. Why? It looks like a beautiful place to me."  
  
Something in the way he said those words caused the teen-ager to stare at him yet again. He was still gazing out into the wooded land, a far-away look in his eyes and a gorgeous smile on his face.  
  
Only once before had she seen a smile as beautiful as that. *No. It can't be. It's just not possible,* she thought, her heart leaping into her throat. However, before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "Nephrite?!"  
  
At the sound of his name, the disguised Gemlord froze, stunned. Recovering quickly, he stared back at the still-amazed redhead. He started to protest that he wasn't who she thought he was, then recalled his final words to her before his death. *And here I am, lying to her yet again -- this time on purpose.* With a long sigh of defeat, he carefully looked around. Finding no one else in sight, he let the disguise drop.  
  
The girl's slate-blue eyes grew even wider as shimmering greenish-silver light momentarily enveloped the stranger. When it disappeared, she saw sitting on the bench next to her the man who still sometimes haunted her dreams. "But how?" she gasped, her mind slower to grasp the truth that her heart and eyes already knew, that it was really him.  
  
"Because of you, Molly," Nephrite replied. "Because of the love you had for someone as corrupted by evil as I, I've been given a short time on Earth to still make that little dream of yours come true."  
  
Molly's angelic face went from astonishment to radiant joy to confused sadness in a matter of seconds. "You mean you can't stay?" she asked, her voice breaking.  
  
He slowly shook his head, his dark reddish-brown bangs falling into his left eye. "Please believe me when I say that I truly didn't wish to cause you more pain, but I needed to see you again. That's why I came in disguise, but you still recognized me. I realize now that I shouldn't have come."  
  
He started to stand, but Molly laid a hand on his arm. "Don't go. Please."  
  
"Why? All I'll do is make things worse."  
  
"I'd rather have what little time you were given than to have no time at all," the red-haired girl replied. "If all you can do is have that parfait you promised, then I'll be happy enough. At least I'll have that many more memories the next time you're gone."  
  
"Are you sure?" Nephrite asked.  
  
Molly thought it over, a serious look on her sweet face. "I've already accepted your loss once. I can do so again, especially since I know up front that this can't last."  
  
Nephrite gave her a slight smile. "I seem to recall that you told me that there's a cafe downtown that you'd like to go to for a parfait."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
He stood up then and held out a hand. When Molly reached up and placed her hand in his, he helped her up. Guiding her next to his athletic form and wrapping an arm around her waist, he said, "Clear your mind of all thought, then picture that place in your mind. Close your eyes and concentrate." After watching her do as he asked, he shut his own eyes and saw the image in his mind. Reaching out with his power, he teleported them both there.  
  
Moments later, a slender teen-ager with extremely long twin ponytails walked over to the empty bench. Holding a double-scoop ice cream cone in each hand and clutching a paper bag -- from the top of which a comic book peeked out -- under her left arm, the blond girl called out, "Yoo-hoo! Molly! Guess what I got. Chocolate-fudge ripple and cherry ice cream and the new Sailor V comic." Realizing that there was no one there, she yelled again, a worried tone in her voice, "Molly? Molly! Where are you?"  
  
Frowning, the slender, ponytailed blond thought, *Wonder what happened to her? She was supposed to meet me here.* She started to search around for her missing friend, but was then distracted by melting ice cream dripping onto her hands. *Oh well. Her loss. Gonna have to eat them both before they make a mess.*  
  
*************************************  
  
Molly had forgotten just how weird of an experience teleporting could be. One second she was standing there in the park -- eyes closed and concentrating on her mental picture as Nephrite held her close -- and the next there was nothing save a soul-numbing chill, the sound of her own heart and a gut-wrenching feeling of vertigo. However, the nauseating sensations lasted for only a split-second. In a flash, she was suddenly aware that she could feel her own body, as well as his, again. Startled, she opened her slate-blue eyes.  
  
They were standing in front of the downtown restaurant. It was just the way she'd pictured it, a small, family-run business that took up a corner of the first floor of a three-story building. Feeling Nephrite let her go and step away, she turned her head to look at him -- then blinked in surprise. Somehow, in the middle of the teleport, he'd managed to change his appearance yet again. This time, he was wearing the yellow dress-shirt, white slacks and brown loafers of his human alter-ego, the eccentric millionaire Maxfield Stanton. "How do you do that?" she gasped.  
  
"Lots of talent and a little practice," Nephrite replied. "I'll draw less attention to us this way."  
  
Molly nodded in comprehension, thinking that his former caped outfit would have been a bit odd to those people who happened to be around. "How can you stand teleporting? Does it always feel like that?"  
  
The reddish-brown-haired man shrugged, then opened the door for her. "You get used to it," he replied as he followed the teen-ager inside.  
  
She stood quietly next to him, becoming suddenly shy and nervous, as he gave the couple's order to the matronly woman behind the counter. Watching him pay for the pair of parfaits, she couldn't help wondering where he'd got the money from, and she was still musing on that when she realized that he was waiting for her to take first pick. With a sheepish look, she grabbed one of the tall dessert glasses and a long-handled spoon, then followed him to a booth.  
  
They sat down on opposite sides, facing one another, each one keeping their gaze on the cherry-topped treat in front of them. Both Molly and Nephrite waited for the other to start -- then, when it became apparent to each of them that the other one was expecting them to go first, they both picked up their spoon and dug in. The perfect synchronization of the entire episode struck Nephrite as amusingly absurd and he couldn't keep from laughing.  
  
The red-haired teen went ahead and ate the bite of fudge-covered vanilla ice cream on her spoon, smiling at his amusement. "I missed your laugh," she said. "I only got to hear it that once."  
  
The Gemlord ate his spoonful then, a thoughtful expression on his handsome face. After a pause, he declared, "Actually, that's not too bad."  
  
"They don't have ice cream where you're from?"  
  
Recalling her query from what had to be months ago, Nephrite smiled. "You ask the most innocent of questions, Molly. No, Sunday wasn't a day off for me and no, we didn't have any ice cream. In fact, I really don't have to eat to stay alive, but I do so when I'm on Earth so that I blend in better with you natives."  
  
They fell silent for a few minutes, concentrating on their desserts, until Molly got enough courage to say, "Tell me about yourself, Nephrite."  
  
Jade-green eyes stared straight into her slate-blue ones. "It's not a nice story, Molly," he warned.  
  
"I already know that you've done a lot of bad things, but that doesn't matter. I want to know who the man is that I fell in love with," the teen-aged girl challenged.  
  
"I wish I knew. If it was the person you see right now, then he's just imaginary, an identity I created in order to carry out my plans among you humans in secrecy. Yet even when I did tell you something about the truth of myself, it didn't stop you. You willingly put yourself in danger for my sake."  
  
"But that's what love's about."  
  
"So I've learned, I think," Nephrite admitted. A far-off look in his eyes, he added, "When Zoisite's goons took you hostage, I was going to abandon you, leaving you to her to do with as she willed -- until I began to think about what she probably would do, and found that I couldn't let you face that. Then, during that last fight, all I could think about was keeping you from getting hurt." Focusing once again on Molly's angelic face, he watched, amazed, as his confession caused her form to brighten with an almost visible glow. Recognizing the brilliant light as the fascinatingly pure energy of her love and remembering how he sensed it crumbling into gray ashes while his own life-force was being sucked dry, he scowled. "Don't get too happy. Remember, I can't stay."  
  
Although obviously crestfallen at his harsh words, the light still shone within the girl. "I know, but I can't help it. You love me."  
  
He narrowed his eyes, about to angrily deny Molly's quiet statement, but then stopped himself before he uttered a sound. Despite the feelings of discomfort and irritation provoked by her words, he knew also that they had the ring of truth. "I care about you, and what happens to you. But love?" For just a few seconds, his face hardened into that cold, arrogant expression the red-headed teen remembered from the times before.  
  
"When I was in your room that night and told you what it was like where I was from, I wasn't lying then even though my motives for telling you so were a sham. You may be cute and sweet, full of innocence, a true angel of starlight--" He quit in mid-sentence, suddenly realizing what he'd said. Rolling jade-green eyes in exasperation, he mentally growled, *Now I'm beginning to *sound* like a love-sick fool.*  
  
Molly watched, amused by the play of emotions. "I kind of like that," she confessed. "Starlight angel."  
  
The conversation lagged off, an atmosphere of uncertainty and hesitation surrounding the couple. They finished up their desserts in silence, Molly too shy to try to find out more and Nephrite too irritated and perplexed to say anything else. However, the red-haired girl kept glancing over at him, trying to build up the courage to speak again.  
  
Nephrite sat there and stared at the empty, fudge-covered glass, trying to sort out the jumble of feelings inside. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, something hit his psychic awareness like a sledgehammer, shaking him to his very core. Gasping in pain at the overwhelming intensity, it took his astounded mind a moment to recognize it for what it was -- an ancient, irresistible Call.  
  
At the unexpected sound, Molly looked up and caught the look of utter astonishment on her companion's face. As she watched in sudden fright, his outline became a bit blurred and his body slightly transparent. "No! Wait! You can't go now."  
  
"Not my doing," Nephrite hissed, fighting the summons. "I have... more time... but this... is something else." *I can't go back and face him now. It may jeopardize everything,* he silently raged. But it was a losing battle, as he knew it must be. No Gemlord of Lithos, no matter his or her past, could ignore that Call. Staring over at Molly's tear-blurred eyes and seeing the light shining within her sad, scared soul, he heard a voice speak from his memory: *With love, all things are possible, all destinies may be denied. Could it be?* he asked himself.  
  
It took nearly everything he had to hold out an increasingly insubstantial hand to the girl. "Molly... hold me... keep me here... with the power... of your love."  
  
Faced with the man of her dreams fading away right before her eyes, the teen-ager didn't need any more encouragement. With the blind trust of true faith, she grabbed his ghost-like hand in her own. An almost electric shock ran through them both at the contact. With the blinding light of Molly's love shimmering within them both, she could feel Nephrite's hand suddenly become solid again. But connected to him like that, she could see and feel other things besides.  
  
The world exploded into the darkness of space, thousands of glimmering stars scattered about. She could hear the music they made as the planets danced among them, but she could hear something else as well -- an irresistible urge to return to somewhere out there. In that moment, she knew that he had to stay behind, that he had things to do on Earth, and she resolved to help him the best she could. Catching the impression of a shadowy man with dark hair and dark eyes standing in the middle of space, she drew together the shimmering light of the stars around them both. Within the silver sphere, the summons could be heard no more.  
  
She came back to her own awareness then, once more in the ice cream parlor and still holding Nephrite's hand. Glancing over at his now-solid form, she saw that he was smiling.  
  
"Thank you. It wasn't time for me to go, yet."  
  
"Who was that?" Molly asked.  
  
The Gemlord remained silent for a long moment, then reluctantly replied, "Someone I knew long ago."  
  
"Please, I want to understand. Who are you really?"  
  
"You shouldn't trust me so much."  
  
"I can't help it. Love's funny that way," the redhead shrugged.  
  
In reply, he reached over and took her other hand in his own. With a second's concentration, he teleported them both again from the parlor's booth.  
  
*************************************  
  
Having known a bit more what to expect, Molly found the second teleport not as upsetting as the first. Looking around, she saw that she was standing in some sort of chapel, a highly-vaulted ceiling soaring upwards. All around were tall, thin, stained-glass windows, while at one end of the rectangular room an intricate rose window overlooked the altar. She swallowed, a bit apprehensive, as she took in the signs of decay and gloom that filled the empty chamber and noticed the tall candlesticks that ringed the room. Oddly enough, their glass holders were different colors; blue, yellow, green and red, they stood at the center of the four walls of the shadow-draped chapel, the green one casting emerald light down on the marble altar. Not sure what was going to happen next, she looked over at the man who still held her hands -- and wasn't too surprised to find him back in his caped, green and white outfit.  
  
He let her go, then turned to face the round window high above. "You should be careful what you wish for, Molly, for it may come to you," his rich baritone voice admonished. Before she could reply, he continued, "The movement of the stars rules everything. I call upon the outer planets, you who govern the destinies of generations, show this foolish girl the shadows of my past."  
  
At the sound of his words, Molly watched, uneasy, as the gloom seemed to swallow up the entire room. Before her wide-open eyes, a vision of the solar system appeared, putting a picture to the music she'd recently heard. But then even the sparkling stars and majestic planets faded somewhat as images began to form within the heart of the darkness.  
  
"I come from another planet in this solar system," Nephrite began explaining the visions, his words echoing slightly in the open room. A picture of a white-swirled blue world, similar to Earth, appeared. "And though this planet, Lithos by name, orbited between Mars and Jupiter, it was as filled with water and life as this Earth of yours. But whereas your world developed life because it was scientifically possible, Lithos sustained life because it was mystically possible."  
  
The scene changed to that of a large mirror made of black glass, a tall man with dark hair dressed in dark clothes standing next to it. With a start, Molly recognized the image as that of the man she'd seen out in space. "Lithos was home to the Vortex Mirror, a mystic embodiment of the bridge between all places that exist in the Universe. It was the energy of that Symbol of the Cosmos that made life possible there. And guarding that Symbol, keeping it from being misused, was Obsidian, Lord of Lithos."  
  
Another picture appeared. This time the teen-ager could see a black castle-like tower in the midst of a beautiful city, with many men and women walking around enjoying the sights. "Obsidian wasn't alone, however. As companions and assistants, the Gemlords of Lithos came into being. I can't explain how it happened -- there are some things in the Universe that remain mysterious -- but certain types of stones, generally recognized here on Earth by you humans as gems, developed souls that personified the mystic powers those stones contained. I am, you could say, the spirit of nephrite jade."  
  
Another change of the vision. Five warrior women stood at guard before the black Tower, each one dressed in short-skirted battle gear. One had long dark, ruby-red hair and wore a costume of the same shade. One had long silver-blond hair streaked with pastel shades of pink, yellow, orange, blue, green and violet and was dressed in sapphire-blue. Another had shoulder-length golden-blond hair with a uniform of yellows and metallic gold. The fourth, with long deep-green hair, was outfitted in emerald-green while the fifth, who had long silver-blond hair, had a uniform of white and silver. "We weren't all awakened at once, nor were we all the same in power. Among the first to appear, and the most powerful, were the Tower Guard. Ruby, Sapphire, Amber, Emerald, and their captain, Diamond, were the Mirror's last line of defense save Obsidian himself."  
  
"But there was another group as well, one almost as powerful as the Tower Guard. This group's job was to be the front line of defense, overseeing the organization of the other Gemlords under their command should the need ever arise." The scene changed, showing a tall man with silver-blond hair, pale lavender eyes and dressed in an all-black uniform of knee-high boots, pants, jacket and floor-length cloak, the outfit trimmed in metallic silver and lavender. "Lord Kunzite, the leader, Commander of the Southern Quarter," Nephrite explained. "It was rumored that he was nearly as old as Obsidian and the Guard; he was certainly much older than I."  
  
The image changed again, showing Molly a picture of Nephrite with another man standing next to him. The other Gemlord had short, light blond hair and amber-colored eyes. Both Gemlords wore uniforms identical to that of the one Kunzite had been shown wearing, with Nephrite's being trimmed in metallic silver and emerald green and the other man's being trimmed in metallic gold and orange-yellow. "Jadeite and I came into being at nearly the same moment. I don't recall a childhood, I just suddenly was. Although we don't have families as such, Jadeite and I were sort of considered fraternal twins. We did nearly everything together -- and were discovered by Kunzite as the Commanders of the Northern and Eastern Quarters he'd been searching for.  
  
"For a long time, it was just the three of us, overseeing the organization of the defense of Lithos under Obsidian's command. However, we knew there would eventually be a fourth, for we needed someone to command the Western Quarter in order to be complete."  
  
Another shift, showing the girl a slender, boyish-looking man with long golden-blond hair and violet-blue eyes wearing the same all-black uniform as the others before, save his was trimmed in metallic gold and ultramarine blue. Startled, Molly blurted out, "But that looks like . . ."  
  
"The woman who took the star crystal and taunted me? It is. One of Zoisite's powers is the ability to change his or her form to whatever he or she feels like. Back then, he usually remained male. And he was found to be the Commander of the West Kunzite was looking for. Because Zoisite was so much younger than the rest of us, Kunzite worked especially hard on his training to get him up to speed. Finally, our group was complete."  
  
The image then became one of peaceful existence within the beautiful city. "Things remained blissfully quiet for a long time. Although we continued to prepare, our plans for the defense of Lithos were never used. No one ever threatened to conquer the Mirror, and the rest of the solar system was united in peace under the gentle hand of Queen Serenity."  
  
Molly then saw a picture of the Sailor Scouts standing at the ready. As Nephrite continued to remark on the pictures, she recognized the warrior girls as Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. "Queen Serenity had her own guard, whom you've met as the Sailor Scouts. Their job was to protect the Silver Millennium -- Queen Serenity's peace -- but most of all, protect the Moon Princess." Now the redhead could see a beautiful, graceful girl with long blond hair dressed in a gossamer gown of moonlight white.  
  
"However, things eventually fell apart." The picture swirled into that of a tall, flame-haired woman wearing a long red gown. "Lady Beryl was caught using the Vortex Mirror without Obsidian's knowledge. For the first time ever, someone had used the Mirror's powers without the Guardian's authorization. Obsidian was livid, but not enough to execute her. Instead, he banished her to Earth, the only place our gemstone powers are weakened." Now Molly could see the woman bound and gagged, surrounded by the four commanders as Obsidian and a man with short black hair and wearing black and silver armor talked. "Prince Darien, Earth's guardian, didn't take kindly to being ordered to imprison an exiled Gemlord on his planet. So in order to reassure the prince that Beryl couldn't cause anymore trouble, Obsidian ordered the four of us to stay behind as well as Beryl's guards. We found a cave up near the North Magnetic Pole and used it as her cell, each one of us taking shifts watching over her."  
  
The vision changed. This time the awed girl saw another image of Nephrite. He was sitting on what appeared to be a chair shaped out of the living rock of a cavern and was reading something. Nearby, a opening in the cave's wall was sealed up with a shimmering white light. "At first, we carried out our orders as diligently as we always had, each one of us dealing with a full twenty-four hours alone with the prisoner in that cave. But the duty became rather unbearable with nothing to do, so we each ended up staying at Prince Darien's court most of the time with whomever had the job for the day making periodic teleports into the cell to see if everything was as it should be." Another change. This time the picture showed the four commanders wearing white uniforms with trim the color of their gemstone -- the man identified as Kunzite having a long cloak instead of a cape -- standing behind the black-clad Earth Prince. "We spent so much time there, we became friends of Prince Darien and got caught up in the middle of a potential scandal."  
  
The picture now showed the Moon Princess and the Earth Prince holding hands and staring into each other's eyes. "You see, although all of us from the other planets were supposed to stay away from Earth -- and Earthlings were banned from the other planets -- the Moon Princess was fascinated with the blue planet she could see in her sky. So she snuck down here, met Prince Darien -- and it was love at first sight. But the Senshi found out about the Princess's trips and they continually foiled her attempts to visit."  
  
The image then became one of the four white-clad commanders, each one talking to a Senshi one-on-one as the prince and princess were sneaking off in the background. "At Prince Darien's command, for Obsidian had placed us at the prince's disposal, we used our teleporting powers and our persuasion to keep the Sailors busy while the royal couple went off by themselves. Whether it was here on Earth or up on the Moon, it became the job of each one of us to occupy a Senshi. My target was Princess Jupiter." In illustration, the vision turned to one of Nephrite in a large ballroom, dancing with a girl Molly recognized as Sailor Jupiter. In the background were the other commanders, each one dancing with a Senshi as well.  
  
"It became an amusing game with the four of us, outwitting the Senshi like that. I suppose we were looking for anything to relieve the boredom of our true mission. Beryl remained safely imprisoned, out of harm's way, and we enjoyed trying to keep the Sailors in the dark about just how many times the princess was here on Earth or the prince was on the Moon. But then we began to suspect that Queen Serenity had found out what was going on, because there came a time that it felt like we were always being watched. When we tried to tell Prince Darien about it, he shrugged it off and said that if we were that worried about it, we should use our powers to find out what was going on."  
  
The image became that of the cavern prison again, the four commanders standing together and arguing. "I can't tell you exactly what happened next, Molly, because I really don't know myself. I remember Zoisite yelling about being unappreciated by Obsidian and that it should've been someone else pulling this duty. Kunzite was trying to calm him down when suddenly Jadeite started agreeing, saying that he'd had enough of the whole thing. I started to disagree, when Zoisite put a hand on my shoulder. Just like that, I could see his point. Duty and honor suddenly meant absolutely nothing. I wanted recognition and power. After all, we four were the strongest of all the Gemlords outside of Obsidian and the Tower Guard. When I sided with the others, arguing that we should dump this backwater, go home and make Obsidian give us something more in keeping with our high status, Kunzite stormed off, sure we were all crazy."  
  
A new scene appeared, with Zoisite, still dressed in the same uniform but now quite noticeably female, holding Kunzite by the hand and walking back to the other two. "It was after Kunzite decided to join us after all that Zoisite kept to a feminine form; she used her male form only one last time. And with us united again, we were standing there wondering just how to do what we wanted when Beryl spoke and told us of a plan."  
  
When the image finished shifting again, it showed the tall, flame-haired woman--now clad in a long, indigo-blue gown -- standing before the four commanders, a globe of dark energy between them. "The more she spoke, the more we realized that she was saying what we wanted to hear. Obsidian had been wrong to exile her, she really hadn't done anything wrong. And he shouldn't have ordered us to guard her; it seemed so obvious that he didn't appreciate the hard work and loyalty we'd shown on his behalf. All he cared about were the Vortex Mirror and the Tower Guard. If we would only join Beryl, acknowledge her as our queen, she would give us all the power we needed to show Obsidian, Queen Serenity and anyone else that they shouldn't have messed with us. The four of us, full of resentment, bitterness and dissatisfaction, agreed." The picture changed, showing Nephrite -- now dressed in the gray uniform that Molly had known him in all those months ago -- on bended knee before the tall woman, kissing her outstretched hand as an aura of dark energy surrounded him. "One by one, we pledged our loyalty and ourselves to her as queen, and in return, we each received an energy like I'd never sensed before. I felt like I could do anything, that I was invincible. We then began to put our queen's plan into action."  
  
The vision this time showed Nephrite in disguise walking among the humans of Earth, talking to them and finding excuses to lay a hand on them. Molly saw that all of the people he touched suddenly developed a barely-visible dark glow that quickly faded away. "With Jadeite taking Asia, Zoisite in Europe, Kunzite in Africa and the Middle East and myself in the Americas, the four of us went among the mortals of Earth. In order to carry out our queen's plan, we needed troops, and the new power we had at our command needed a physical focus. So we used humans in order to set the pattern the energy would take. When the time came, we could call upon it and have it channeled through a human, thereby creating ourselves a warrior. But in the midst of it all, we received a summons from the Prince. Since we weren't ready, our queen let us go, commanding us to fool everyone into thinking that nothing was amiss."  
  
The new scene focused on an angry Prince Darien confronting the commanders -- dressed in their white uniforms and Zoisite in his male form once more -- demanding an explanation. "He wasn't happy that we hadn't been around in his court of late, especially since it had been a while since he'd seen the Princess. Every time they'd tried, the Senshi had caught them. We told him that we'd been busy trying to find out who was watching us so closely, and he grudgingly understood. After all, he had told us to do so the last time we'd seen him. We agreed to go with him to the Moon again so that he could attend that night's ball without interruption."  
  
Molly kept staring upwards into the darkness, mouth slightly open in shock, as the images and Nephrite's low words continued. A vision of him dancing with Princess Jupiter again took form, with the Senshi wearing a long, gauzy gown of shimmering forest-green, her brown hair artfully arranged in an intricate style adorned with emeralds. In the background, the red-headed girl could see Jadeite dancing with Princess Mars, Kunzite paired with Princess Venus and a most-decidedly male Zoisite leading Princess Mercury. Each princess was dressed as elaborately as Jupiter, and Molly caught the impression that that particular ball had been a special event. "I kept her busy and distracted that entire night, my purpose two-fold. As always, I was to keep her from watching the Moon Princess so that she could safely meet with Prince Darien, but that night I had another job as well. While we talked and danced, I carefully used my powers to memorize her strengths and probe her weaknesses. By the time the celebration had ended, I knew Jupiter's powers inside-out and had found a way to bottle-up most of her energy inside her. Distracted fool that she was, she never knew what I had done."  
  
The scene shimmered, resolving itself into one of Nephrite pulling Princess Jupiter close and giving her a deep kiss. Auras of dark energy momentarily surrounded them both right before Nephrite let her go, a coldly arrogant smile on his face. At the same time, the Gemlord standing near the Earth girl continued his narrative. "I gave her that last kiss knowing full well that as I did so, the power given to my by my queen would weaken Sailor Jupiter to her most basic attack and defense. I knew then that the next time I would see her and the other Senshi, it would be on the opposite side of a battlefield. The others having accomplished the same mission with their respective princess, we returned triumphantly to our queen."  
  
The picture changed. Molly saw another image of the Earth from space, a noticeable darkness engulfing the blue planet. The vision then morphed into a scene of Queen Beryl, her appearance suddenly twisted into something demonic and surrounded by seven shadowy figures with glowing red eyes, raising her black, globe-topped staff high in the air. From the four corners of the Earth, shadows emerged from unsuspecting humans as the quartet of commanders -- each one standing in the geographic center of their region and sending out a special telepathic command -- Called the dark power they'd spread into life. The shadows quickly solidified into armed warriors as the humans from which they were patterned collapsed to the ground, unconscious.  
  
The scenes of a battle appeared next, each gray-clad general leading his or her force toward a meeting place in what appeared to Molly to be Greenland. Along the way, the generals' forces battled the warriors of the Earth Prince, but the overwhelmed defenders could do little to hinder the attackers' movements. As the redhead watched, wide-eyed, Molly thought it odd that Prince Darien was suddenly nowhere to be found when it became a given that the four armies would soon join forces. The image then became one of the full army standing on a wind-swept plain, Queen Beryl and her shadowy attendants in the center. At the four corners of the area, the generals stood in their respective Quarters and linked their teleporting abilities together in order to move the whole force to a new place.  
  
Molly then saw the army appear on another planet, the beautiful city with the tall black tower she'd seen earlier on the horizon. For the first time in a few moments, Nephrite spoke. "After collecting our troops and taking Earth, the first place we went was Lithos. All of us had a score to settle with our former Lord, Obsidian, and the dark power which fueled our actions and for which we worked promised us whatever we wished should we prove able to wrest control of the Vortex Mirror from its Guardian. We knew the rhythm of Lithos's existence, being Gemlords ourselves. We knew the others were unprepared, gathering together within the Obsidian Tower for a court held every century, like clockwork." The vision became that of another battle, with Queen Beryl, the Seven Shadows, Nephrite and Jadeite leading the attack on the Gemlord defenders, the dark army able to easily enter the city before any of the Gemlords truly realized that trouble had come calling. On the summit of a mountain overlooking the city, Kunzite and a female Zoisite stood within a force-field of violet-pink energy. Within Zoisite's embrace, her power augmenting his own, Kunzite had his silver-haired head bowed in concentration. High above, a thin, sparkling violet-pink shield covered the entire sky. "As the main force advanced into the city, we sustained moderate losses for each Gemlord we killed. As Jadeite and I lead the army over the territory we'd known so well, Kunzite and Zoisite set up a barrier around Lithos that kept any call for reinforcements from reaching the other planets. Then, near the center of the city, we met the Tower Guard."  
  
The image became that of the five amazon warriors, battle ready, the few remaining defenders preparing for another stand behind them. Although the generals -- Kunzite and Zoisite having rejoined the main force -- did their best to incapacitate the Guard, the female warriors carved a path through the relatively-weak footsoldiers toward Queen Beryl. Seeing the threat, the demonic-appearing woman sent the Seven Shadows out to intercept them. As the quartet of generals picked off those other Gemlords that remained, the Shadow warriors pushed back the amazons' attack. Then a new form joined the fray, his blackish-green cloak and dark-brown hair flying as he took on the Shadows alone.  
  
With the Shadows fighting tooth-and-nail with the Lord of Lithos, keeping him from helping his Guard, the four generals linked powers and used their combined energies to concentrate on one amazon at a time. "Our Queen and her Shadows were more than a match for the Mirror's Guardian, but to Obsidian's credit, he stopped their advance. Of the Tower Guard, Emerald was the first to fall beneath our combined might. Ruby became our next target as we sent the full force of what remained of our army against Sapphire's multiple attacks. The twin amazons fell together, united in death as they'd been in life. Amber was the last of the Tower Guard to be killed, giving her life in defense of the Mirror we sought to take.  
  
"With them gone, there only remained Obsidian and Diamond, who both knew that the battle was lost. They both teleported to the Tower and we marched through the city in mass. Diamond made a final stand at the Tower's gates but, weakened as she was, she was no match for us then. Jadeite and I combined our energies once more and finished the Captain off."  
  
A new picture formed. With the Tower protected by a deep-green force-field and the ground all around breaking up into huge pieces, the generals surrounded what remained of their forces and, with their combined teleport once more, moved the entire group back to Earth. "We'd failed, but barely. And even though we'd all used huge amounts of power, we seemed to increase in energy as the battles raged on, almost as if we'd been feeding off the death and destruction caused by our actions."  
  
The picture then became one of the quartet spread throughout the Earth, sending out their Call to the dark power once more. All over the world, the poor humans who were just beginning to recover from the last summons fell to the ground, senseless again, as a new warrior of the dark energy was formed through their bodies. The four newly-created armies met up at the same place as before, but this time the frightened girl could see a huge, overwhelming Shadow overlooking the plain with glowing red eyes. Their ranks swollen once more, the army let out a war-cry that filled the air. Riding a tidal wave of dark energy formed by the enormous Shadow, the army charged toward the Kingdom of the Moon. "We'd lost many of our troops to the Gemlords of Lithos," the reddish-brown-haired man continued. "But with our powers increasing as they were, we used the humans as templates once again, making more warriors for our cause. When we gathered together in the far North again, we were joined by the Negaforce itself. With it fully awakened and at our Queen's disposal, we knew we were unstoppable. The Negaforce told us to not be overly disappointed at losing the Mirror, for once we had gained the Imperium Silver Crystal, we'd be able to use its power to locate where Obsidian took it. Caught up in the bloodlust, we cheered. The Moon, and Queen Serenity, became our next target."  
  
The scene changed to one of wholesale destruction as the army and the Negaforce overran the unprepared kingdom. Carnage and rubble were everywhere as the army destroyed everything in sight. Molly saw the planetary princesses become the Scouts and try to stop the rampaging Negaforce, but with their powers sabotaged by the four commanders, they never had a chance. With one blast, they fell together.  
  
At one point among the chaos, the red-headed teen saw Queen Beryl confront the Moon Princess, only to be stopped by Prince Darien. But when the Negaforce tried to take the prince at Queen Beryl's command, the princess chose to go as well -- and both ended up dead, struck by the same beam of energy. Molly then saw a tall, ethereally-beautiful woman -- with pale blond hair in twin, floor-length ponytails that emerged from spheres of hair on her head -- run to the scene of the dead prince and princess in horror. Collapsing to the ground in despair, the pale, graceful woman pulled out a round, faceted gem that sparkled brighter than any diamond Molly had ever seen. The woman placed the colorless stone in a socket in her golden crescent-moon wand, stood up and raised it to the smoke-filled sky. The visions, and the darkness within the chapel, faded away with a brilliantly-pure, blindingly-white light.  
  
Nephrite continued to stare up at the rose window. "Queen Serenity, overcome by the destruction of her kingdom and the deaths of those she loved, turned the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal against us all, defenders and invaders alike, trapping us body and soul within the Crystal's heart. She then sent the Crystal up into the sky and made it shatter, each fragment containing a separate spirit. But whereas all those who died defending her kingdom were sent ahead to another time on Earth, another fate lay in store for those of us who were channels of the Negaforce's dark power. Instead, we were exiled to the dimension from which it had originally come."  
  
He turned and looked at the awe-struck girl. "Be thankful that you've spent your life in a place of warmth and sunlight, Molly. The Negaverse is nothing like that," he began, a melancholy expression deep within his jade-green eyes. "The best description I can give you is that it's like an extensive maze of underground caverns, full of coldness, gloom and shadow. For a thousand years we were there, the coldness and gloom slowly seeping into our souls and freezing what was there as the Negaforce, weakened by its encounter with the Crystal, lay comatose within the center of its home dimension.  
  
"During that time, the four of us went our separate ways, a unit no longer. Jadeite and I, once as close as twin brothers, never did anything together after our exile began; we both withdrew into our own worlds of training and duties, awaiting the day when all of us could break free. Kunzite also withdrew into himself, keeping everyone except Zoisite at arm's length. And despite her obviously closer relationship with Kunzite, Zoisite became more vindictive and vain as time went on; there were times I was sure she'd stab even Kunzite in the back if it meant gaining greater favor from Queen Beryl. Since I was second-in-command after Kunzite, I naturally became a target of Zoisite's political games. It was that rivalry that eventually meant my doom.  
  
"However, the seal around the Negaverse Queen Serenity set in her despair with the Crystal was flawed, and the gateway first opened up by Beryl with the Vortex Mirror was never fully closed. After a millennium of exile, we'd regained enough energy to reopen the way to Earth. Deciding to pick up where she'd left off, determined as ever, Beryl conferred with the four of us about ways to speed up the process of regaining our full strength. When Jadeite said that he had a few plans that could work, Beryl broke the weakened seal around the Negaverse, opened the gateway and put Jadeite in control of the mission.  
  
"He would have done quite well had it not been for Sailor Moon and the two Senshi he'd accidentally awakened. When Beryl tired of his failures, she permanently imprisoned him in a crystal, alive but asleep. It then became my duty to round up energy in order to accelerate the Negaforce's reawakening. The rest you pretty much already know."  
  
For an agonizingly long moment, absolute silence filled the shadowy chapel as the teen-aged girl and the centuries-old Gemlord stared at one another. Finally, Molly was able to whisper, "I just don't know what to say..."  
  
"Then don't say anything," Nephrite replied, stepping forward and placing a hand on her forehead. With practiced ease, he pulled the girl's energy from her into himself, then carefully caught her before her unconscious body could hit the floor. Gathering her slight form up into his arms, the reddish-brown-haired man teleported again.  
  
*************************************  
  
He reappeared in the red-haired girl's bedroom, his psychic senses telling him that no one was nearby. Nephrite glanced around for a moment, taking in his surroundings. They were much the same as he remembered they would be. Decorated in blues and greens, the obviously feminine room was pretty much what the Gemlord expected from an adolescent human girl. With a faint, almost whimsical smile, Nephrite carefully laid the unconscious teen down on her bed. Reaching out with his power, he telepathed to her sleeping mind.  
  
**My time with you is nearly up. Thank you, Molly, for everything you've done for me, and I'm truly sorry I used you yet again, but I had to somehow ignore Obsidian's Call. Sleep now, go back to your life, remembering this as only a dream. And though I don't know what tomorrow will bring, I do know this: should danger ever threaten you again, I'll do my best to use my powers to keep you from harm.**  
  
He turned away then, preparing to teleport back, when another thought crossed his mind. Telepathing again, he added, **Should our paths ever cross again in life, please remember that I could probably use a friend.** With that, he was gone, leaving Molly to sleep off the effects of his energy drain.  
  
*************************************  
  
He teleported to the unkempt lawn in front of the mansion he'd used as his headquarters. With the blustery wind blowing back his long, dark hair and silver-lined, green cape, making the trees around him dance, Nephrite held his hands out in front of himself. Conjuring a small sphere of bright white energy, he stared at it for a moment with jade-green eyes. *Once, not long ago, this was my existence,* he thought as he gazed into the heart of the energy he'd stolen from Molly. *Taking from others so that the Negaforce could be reawakened. But with Beryl gone and my link to the Negaforce broken, I have no need for this. I only took it from her in order to render her unconscious.*  
  
He looked up into the stormy sky and let the energy go. It rose into the air, dissipating as it went, and disappeared in a shower of tiny silver stars. 


	3. Opening Gambits

OPENING GAMBITS  
  
  
Obsidian stood in the center of the Zodiac-decorated carpet,   
staring into the cold, lifeless depths of the soulstone he   
held. Closing his deep-brown eyes and centering himself, he   
mentally reached into the lusterless crystal. Slowly,   
carefully, he sought the pattern of the stone's spirit   
frozen inside. There, deep within the crystal lattice,   
Obsidian found what he sought -- the crystallized pattern   
that represented the sum total of the personality and   
experiences of the Gemlord to whom the stone belonged. A   
little at a time, he sent his energy into the soulstone,   
thawing out each element he found, freeing it from its   
crystal prison. As more of the pattern emerged, energized by   
the outside source of power, the dark lord gradually   
increased the amount he sent into the stone. Then, suddenly,   
he felt something new -- a flicker of life as the energized   
pattern spontaneously sparked into its own.  
  
The dark-cloaked lord quickly opened his eyes and set the   
soulstone down on the carpet beneath his booted feet.   
Retreating to his chair to the right of the Mirror, he gave   
the Symbol of Space under his protection a quiet command,   
"Mirror Power Magnify."  
  
The black-glassed Mirror began to glow with its eerie   
blackish-green light. As the dark radiance shone on the   
crystal in the center of the Hall, Obsidian watched, his   
entire posture thoughtful and wary, as the stone slowly came   
to life. Already he was having second thoughts, but it was   
now too late. The deed was done.  
  
Little by little, in small degrees, the grayness faded away.   
The chipped facets smoothed out, their lines becoming sharp   
once more, and the dullness disappeared as light began to   
shine within the crystal. As the glow within became steadily   
brighter, the aura around the Mirror began to fade. It was   
completely gone by the time the soulstone's violet-tinged   
pink-colored light shone throughout the Hall, taking on a   
human-like shape. Then that too faded away, leaving behind   
the tall figure of a man.  
  
Still too weak to stand on his own, the resurrected Gemlord   
collapsed to the floor as soon as his rose-colored aura   
disappeared. Catching himself, his pastel-colored   
violet-pink cloak splayed around his lithe form, he   
supported his upper body with his hands as he tried to   
regain his bearings. *Where am I? I feel as if I've just   
awakened from a long, dismal dream.* A memory momentarily   
flashed through his mind, one of searing agony as a killing   
strike of his own power blasted through his protective   
shield and buried itself into his chest. *And after that,   
nothing,* he thought. *At least until now.*  
  
"Give me just one good reason why I shouldn't blast you back   
into oblivion permanently."  
  
At the sound of the familiar but completely unexpected   
voice, the reborn Gemlord looked up in shock, shaking his   
long, straight, silver-blond hair out of his eyes. Seeing a   
dark-haired, dark-eyed man sitting on a vaguely throne-like   
chair next to a huge mirror made of black glass that was   
unusually reflective, the silver-haired Gemlord narrowed his   
pale-lavender eyes in wariness as everything suddenly came   
flooding back. From his youthful days on Lithos all the way   
up to his final battle with the Senshi, he could now recall   
his entire sordid history. Realizing that he was in the   
Hall of the Mirror within the Obsidian Tower and that it was   
the Lord of that Tower who had spoken, the Gemlord defiantly   
met the dark lord's challenging stare. "You need me,   
Obsidian," his low voice replied. "Otherwise, why waste what   
energy you have bringing me back in the first place?"  
  
Gritting his teeth in anger and frustration, Obsidian   
continued to glare at the other man as the silver-haired   
Gemlord slowly rose to his feet. "Out of all of us on   
Lithos, I expected the most from you, Kunzite. Other than   
the Tower Guard, you were the first one to come into being.   
From the beginning I considered you a trusted friend and   
advisor, especially as your counsel increased in wisdom over   
the years.  
  
"Treachery I expected from Beryl; my only mistake was a   
naive belief that she would somehow change, hence her exile   
instead of execution. Zoisite's involvement certainly wasn't   
a shock; it's too bad his -- or her -- destined duties were   
discovered when that one was still quite temperamental and   
immature. Even Jadeite wasn't a huge surprise, for he was   
always a calculating, restless soul. On the other hand, you   
and Nephrite were another matter entirely."  
  
With cat-like grace, Obsidian stood and walked over to the   
other Gemlord. Stopping just in front of Kunzite, the dark   
lord's deep-brown eyes stared straight into the other's   
pale-lavender ones. "I see that you remain as astute as   
ever. Yes, I need you. I need your experience and advice.   
I'll even eventually need your three conspirators as well.   
But let me get one thing straight between us right now. I'd   
rather the Universe be swallowed by Chaos before I tolerate   
more treason from you."  
  
Kunzite continued to glare back, a scornful expression on   
his handsome face despite his weak condition, until the Lord   
of Lithos's last sentence. Seeing within Obsidian's eyes a   
black coldness he'd never noticed before, the rebel Gemlord   
knew with certainty that the dark lord wasn't lying. Gazing   
down at the symbol of Leo on the carpet below, his silver   
head slightly bowed in submission, he quietly asked, "What   
do you wish of me, my Lord?"  
  
But even as he stepped back into the familiar role of being   
a highly-ranked underling, Kunzite heard a shadowy,   
whispered voice deep within himself: *With Beryl gone, all   
power can be yours.* Although startled -- and perhaps a   
touch frightened as well -- the tall Gemlord kept his   
composure. Only a slight clenching of his right hand   
betrayed his sudden unease as he continued to patiently   
await Obsidian's next words.  
  
The dark-brown-haired man didn't immediately respond.   
Instead, he strode over to the table strewn with the remains   
of the population of Lithos. "If there's one thing I've   
learned from our last encounter, it's this: know your enemy   
well. Against you and that Chaotic horde you lead, none of   
us had much of a chance. I suppose the centuries of   
preparing for the defense of Lithos helped the four of you   
immensely in your attack. With the Senshi abandoning us, we   
were overrun."  
  
Kunzite silently walked over to the table as well, standing   
on the opposite side from the dark lord. For a moment he   
thought about telling Obsidian about the shield he'd used to   
keep Lithos incommunicado, then thought better of it.   
Instead, he glanced down at the lifeless stones below. His   
pale-lavender eyes immediately picked out one particular   
crystal, one that was a rather unremarkable dark   
bluish-gray. It was a familiar one, since it had been in his   
care ever since its owner's death.  
  
**********************************  
  
A flash from the past: Down in the earth, within a large   
underground cavern, lit by various glowing patches on the   
cool, damp rock, Kunzite storms off, obviously angry and   
bewildered. He doesn't get far before he's joined by another   
figure.  
  
The newcomer is a boyishly-handsome male Zoisite, his nearly   
waist-length, loose, wavy hair flying as he almost runs to   
catch up. "Kunzite! Wait! Please..." the golden-blond   
Elemental pleads.  
  
"Why?" the silver-haired Gemlord snarls back. However, he   
does stop and turns to face the younger man, his cloak   
swirling around his tall form. "Have all of you gone insane?   
What about our duties? Our responsibility to our Lord as a   
Guardian of the Cosmos?" Kunzite then shakes his head in   
disappointment, his expression one of cold rage. "You, of   
all people, speaking treachery? I thought I'd taught you   
better than that." He raises his hand and points back down   
the way the two of them had come. "Go back and join the   
others, Zoisite. If this is what all of you are set on   
doing, then I want nothing more to do with it -- or you."  
  
During Kunzite's speech, the expression on Zoisite's   
youthful face changes from one of panicked confusion to sly   
satisfaction. He reaches out and grabs the older man's   
outstretched hand in his own, then drops to his knees before   
the tall Elemental's booted feet. As a deep, violet-blue   
aura shimmers around the younger Gemlord's slender form --   
long, loose hair falling forward and obscuring Zoisite's   
face -- the Western Commander kisses Kunzite's hand.  
  
At first outraged, the silver-haired Gemlord begins to pull   
his captured hand away--then stops, an oddly-dazed look in   
his pale-lavender eyes. Slowly, he stares down at the   
kneeling figure below.  
  
The young, mercurial Elemental then gazes up at Kunzite,   
shaking long, golden-blond locks out of her now clearly   
feminine features. Still holding onto the other's hand, she   
says, in a voice somewhat higher-pitched than it was moments   
ago, "Please, Kunzite. We need you. *I* need you. You're the   
unit's leader and my mentor. Without you, anything we plan   
will be doomed to fail." A sensuously seductive smile graces   
the Gemlord's now-feminine lips. "I'll do anything you want,   
*be* anything you want, if only you'll stay with us -- with   
*me*."  
  
For a long moment, the pair continue to stare at one   
another. Then, finally, the dazed look in the silver-haired   
commander's eyes clears up. With a slow, cold smile, Kunzite   
tugs on Zoisite's slender, feminine hand and helps her   
stand. "For you, Zoe, I'll stay," he says, his deep voice   
low. He then pulls the thin Gemlord into his embrace, giving   
her a blatantly passionate kiss.  
  
**********************************  
  
Still gazing down at what was left of Zoisite, Kunzite   
silently said, *And from that moment on, we were closer than   
ever -- beyond teacher and student, beyond even true   
friendship.* He closed his eyes then, pushing aside the   
images that filled his mind, unwilling to go down that   
dismal path again.  
  
Meanwhile, Obsidian carefully watched the resurrected   
traitor. Noticing where he was staring and catching the   
other's fleetingly desolate expression, the   
dark-brown-haired Gemlord shook his head in contempt. "You,   
of all people, should've known better. Fire and Water   
usually leads to mutual annihilation."  
  
Kunzite's only response was to look up and give the Lord of   
Lithos an icy stare.  
  
Obsidian glared back. "Yes, I've seen it all. From Lithos's   
destruction 'till now, the Orrery showed me everything.   
Jadeite's ill luck, Nephrite's foolishness, Zoisite's   
ambition and your resentment, as well as Beryl's defeat. As   
I said, I'm going to need the four of you. Do as I command,   
and Zoisite'll be the next one I bring back as soon as I'm   
able.  
  
"However, should any of you get any brilliant ideas and   
decide to turn on me again, keep this in mind." So saying,   
the dark lord reached under his gold-lined cloak.  
  
When Obsidian withdrew his hand, the silver-haired Commander   
could see that the other Gemlord held something clenched in   
a fist. As he watched, the dark-haired lord stretched his   
arm over the table and opened his hand. Fragments of stone   
colored deep reddish-gray fell to the table-top below,   
coming to rest among the collection of soulstones. With an   
uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, Kunzite picked up   
a triangular piece that had fallen next to Zoisite's   
crystal.  
  
While the tall Gemlord carefully inspected the stone shard,   
Obsidian spoke again, his rich baritone voice harsh.   
"*That* is all that remains of your so-called queen. Cross   
me again, and I'll see that you join her in oblivion. No   
plan of mine, nor the balance of the Cosmos, is more   
important than that."  
  
Kunzite narrowed his pale-lavender eyes. *So, he actually   
found the guts to destroy one of us after all, despite his   
concern to maintain balance.* With an almost cavalier   
gesture, he tossed the fragment of Beryl's soulstone over   
his shoulder. Glancing back down at the other shards on the   
table, the lavender-pink-cloaked Commander realized that   
that particular thought didn't sit well with him at all. "If   
I may, my lord," Kunzite quietly began, still looking down.   
"Two questions: You've mentioned a plan -- what do you have   
in mind? Secondly, if you're going to need the four of us,   
where's Nephrite?"  
  
"Second question first," Obsidian replied with a sigh. "I   
don't know. His crystal didn't answer my Call. In fact, I've   
got the feeling that he somehow found a way to resist the   
summons."  
  
Kunzite looked over at the dark-clothed lord, a silver   
eyebrow raised in surprise. "A *dead* Gemlord didn't answer   
your Call?"  
  
"Apparently so. At the time, I thought I'd felt some   
resistance, but I wasn't sure and dismissed it as some sort   
of anomaly, perhaps brought on by my long coma. That's one   
reason why I brought you back. Other than Jadeite, you knew   
him the best."  
  
"But Jadeite knew him much better than I ever did."  
  
Obsidian gave the other Gemlord a cold smile. "However,   
Jadeite never fought against Sailors Jupiter and Venus, nor   
was he around during the last days of Nephrite's life. He'd   
managed to make Beryl rather upset at him before then. Which   
leads me back to your first question; I mean to reconstruct   
the Philosopher's Stone."  
  
That statement left Kunzite speechless. An expression of   
complete astonishment on his handsome face, the   
silver-haired Elemental just stared at Obsidian.  
  
"With the Philosopher's Stone, I can do almost anything.   
Combine those four pieces with the power of the Mirror, and   
I'll be able to undo what I've done.  
  
"And that brings me to the reason why I chose to resurrect   
you over any of my loyal followers. You've battled all of   
the Inner Senshi. Tell me everything you know about them,   
their powers, their defenses and their attacks," the Lord of   
Lithos commanded.  
  
**********************************  
  
With the ring of a bell, the stillness of the schoolyard was   
shattered. Startled birds took to the sky as the double-door   
leading out of the building flew open with a crash, a pack   
of laughing kids rushing out to enjoy their lunches in the   
sunshine. Among those hurrying out, lunch bags in hand, were   
Serena and Molly.  
  
"Honestly, Serena, I'm really sorry," the red-headed teen   
said as the ponytailed blond looked around for a place to   
sit. "I just don't know what happened. I *meant* to meet you   
there, but I was so tired, I went home and took a nap   
instead. You're not sore, are you?"  
  
Thinking back on the fact that she'd ended up being able to   
eat two ice cream cones instead of just one, the slender   
blond replied, "Naw, not really. It's just that you had me a   
bit worried, that's all. Hey, here's a good spot."  
  
As Serena sat down on a low concrete barrier surrounding a   
beautiful bush near the center of the yard and began pulling   
food out of her bag, the red-head sat down next to her. "I'm   
glad. Besides, I had a dream yesterday afternoon that I   
wouldn't wanted to have missed."  
  
"Oh, really? What about?" Serena asked, taking a bite out of   
her sandwich.  
  
"Maxfield Stanton."  
  
Blue eyes suddenly wide in shock, the blond teen nearly   
choked on her food. "What? But that was months ago. I   
thought you were all over that."  
  
Molly shrugged. "I am, but that doesn't mean that I have to   
stop thinking about him."  
  
An uneasy silence settled over the girls, one that wasn't   
broken until a new voice spoke up. "Hey, mind if we join   
you?"  
  
Looking up, the pair of teens saw another two girls standing   
there, lunches in hand. The one on the left was a thin girl   
of average height with intelligent, sapphire-blue eyes and   
straight, bluish-looking hair cropped short, while the one   
on the right was a tall, almost muscular teen with   
forest-green eyes and thick, medium-brown hair pulled up   
into a ponytail high on her head. Unlike the other girls in   
the schoolyard--whose sailor-like school uniforms were red,   
white and blue -- the second teen's outfit was white and   
tan.  
  
"Hi there, Amy," Serena said, a bright smile on her pretty   
face as she replied to the blue-haired girl's question.   
"Sure, go right ahead." Looking directly up at the tall   
brunette, she added, "What kind of goodies did you make   
today, Lita?"  
  
"Gee, I don't know. All kinds of stuff. I was kinda hungry   
this morning," the tan-uniformed teenager answered, sitting   
down on the concrete next to Molly. As Lita began to open   
her lunch bag, Amy sat down next to Serena on the concrete   
as well, her pleated skirt covering the corner.  
  
Leaning over to look past Molly, Serena carefully watched as   
the taller girl brought out muffins, sandwiches with   
homemade bread, canapes of various sorts speared on   
toothpicks and home-baked cookies.  
  
While Amy rolled her sapphire-blue eyes heavenward and Molly   
leaned back into the bush, a bit miffed as she tried to eat   
her lunch without getting in Serena's way, the slender blond   
sighed, "Everything looks so good, Lita. Think I could try   
some?"  
  
Glancing over at the other girl, the brunette opened her   
mouth to reply -- then stopped when another voice   
interrupted.  
  
"Hi girls! How's everything this fine day?"  
  
As one, the four teens looked at the source of the voice.   
Before them stood a short teen-aged boy with shaggy brown   
hair and thick glasses, his appearance fairly screaming   
*nerd*.  
  
With a growl of frustration at being interrupted, the   
ponytailed blond said, "Melvin!"  
  
Undaunted, the brown-haired boy continued, "Have you heard   
the buzz? A new ninth-grader transferred to our school from   
overseas today."  
  
"Overseas? Really?" Molly asked, intrigued.  
  
Taking the red-head's interest as encouragement, Melvin   
whipped out a small memo pad whose color matched that of his   
dark-blue uniform. As the four girls watched, a bit   
fascinated by the speed of his page-turning, the   
bespectacled teen-ager flipped through the pad. Scratching   
his shaggy-haired head, he said, "Ah, here we go. His name's   
Nathan Sanford and he has dark brownish-auburn hair and   
green eyes. I haven't been able to find out yet just where   
he's from, but he's apparently here to look after an uncle's   
property while the uncle's out of the country. And get this   
-- apparently both his uncle and his family are filthy   
rich."  
  
"Oh, come on," Serena sighed. "If he's that rich, then why's   
he here? He oughtta be going to some fancy, private academy   
instead of a public junior high."  
  
"Well, you could go ask him yourself," Melvin responded, a   
bit ticked. "There he is."  
  
As one, the four girls turned and looked off to their left   
in the direction the teen-aged boy was pointing. There,   
standing in the schoolyard with a slightly bewildered   
expression on his handsome face, was one of the cutest boys   
they'd ever seen. As the girls watched -- and a gentle   
breeze ruffled his shoulder-length, dark reddish-brown hair   
-- the new teen scanned the yard with a thoughtful look in   
his eyes. Then, with an almost imperceptible shrug of his   
shoulders, he strode off toward the fence, his movements   
betraying an underlying athletic grace.  
  
"What a hunk!" Serena breathed, her voice low so that it   
wouldn't carry.  
  
"Sure is," Molly chimed in.  
  
"I agree. He is rather good-looking," Amy added.  
  
Melvin just frowned in slight annoyance.  
  
Lita, however, kept staring off in the direction the new   
student had disappeared, a far-off look in her forest-green   
eyes. "Oh, wow!" she finally said, her voice full of awe.   
"He's so dreamy. He looks just like my old boyfriend."  
  
"Not again!" the slender blond said, slapping a hand to her   
forehead in disbelief. "This'll be the third crush in two   
months, Lita. Get a grip!"  
  
The brunette teen didn't respond. Instead, she stood up and   
walked out into the yard a few paces, still staring at where   
the new boy had gone, her lunch momentarily forgotten. As   
the expression on her pretty face changed from one of   
bedazzlement to a thoughtful frown, she continued gazing off   
into the distance. Then, determination suddenly in her eyes,   
the tall girl walked back to where her lunch was lying   
around and began packing it back up into her bag.  
  
"What in the world are you doing?" Serena asked, startled.  
  
"Doesn't look like he brought anything, and I've got more   
than enough here," Lita replied.  
  
"But I thought--"  
  
"Sorry," the ponytailed brunette apologized, cutting the   
slender blond's complaint short. "It's not like you'll have   
to go without. After all, you *did* remember your own for   
once." With that, Lita finished putting her food away.   
Saying a cheerful, "See ya!" she was gone, bounding off   
toward the fence.  
  
The new teen-ager was sitting on a large rock that decorated   
the ground near a large, glossy green bush. With one leg   
stretched out to the ground and the other foot resting up   
against the side of the rock, he had his hands wrapped   
around his upraised knee. Lita noticed that he wasn't doing   
anything other than stare straight up into the sky high   
above the schoolyard fence.  
  
With both hands clutching her lunch bag and a fluttery   
feeling in the pit of her stomach, the athletic girl stood   
there a moment, the breeze rippling her waist-length   
ponytail and knee-length tan skirt. Finally overcoming her   
hesitation, she cleared her throat in the hopes of getting   
his attention.  
  
Startled, the reddish-brown-haired teen nearly fell off the   
rock. With cat-like reflexes, he caught himself, then glared   
over at where the voice had come from.  
  
For just a second, Lita hesitated again, surprised by the   
nasty, venomous look he'd given her. But his expression   
quickly changed to one of mild curiosity, and Lita flashed   
him a big smile in return. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to   
startle you."  
  
"That's all right," he replied, his mellow tenor low. "My   
fault. I'm not used to people getting near me without me   
noticing their approach."  
  
"May I join you?"  
  
He gestured toward the grassy ground at the foot of the   
rock. "As you wish."  
  
Taking the invitation, the tall girl sat down on the grass,   
carefully arranging her pleated skirt to cover her crossed   
legs. She then began unpacking her lunch yet again.   
Glancing up, she saw that the teen-aged boy was staring back   
up into the sky. "Uh, excuse me," she said, trying to get   
his attention back.  
  
This time, he just looked down at her.  
  
Gazing up into his dreamy eyes, the color of which was a   
nearly translucent emerald-green, Lita just sighed.   
However, when it became obvious that he was getting bored   
with waiting for her to say something, she quickly added, "I   
couldn't help noticing that you didn't seem to have a lunch.   
If you'd like, I'll share mine. I've got plenty here."  
  
For a moment, he just watched as the brunette teen pulled   
item after item out of her bag. Then, with a vaguely   
embarrassed smile, he replied, "I think I'll take you up on   
your generous offer. You're right, I did forget to bring   
something to eat. Seems to be a detail I overlooked this   
morning." As he got up from his stone perch and sat down   
cross-legged in front of the tall brunette and her food, he   
continued, "Guess it's gonna take me a bit to get used to my   
new situation."  
  
"You mean like coming over here from overseas, looking after   
your uncle's place and fitting into a new school?" Lita then   
picked up a chocolate-chip muffin and held it out to him.  
  
"So, you know all that already?" he asked, taking the   
offered sweet.  
  
"Uh, huh," Lita answered, peeling the wrapper off a muffin   
for herself. "Like I was told when I first transferred here   
myself, word gets around fast in this place. So where're you   
from?"  
  
"Europe." With that, he bit into the muffin. Quickly   
polishing it off, he said, "That was rather good."  
  
"Thanks. Have some more. Go ahead and help yourself," the   
tall brunette suggested, gesturing toward her spread-out   
lunch with a sweep of her hand. "I made it myself."  
  
He reached forward and picked up a couple of   
toothpick-speared canapes. "Really? Then you've got quite a   
talent there."  
  
Lita's only response was to shyly duck her head, her cheeks   
blushing from the complement.  
  
Together, they ate the rest of the tall girl's lunch in   
silence, each one politely making sure that the food was   
equally divided. When they were finished, as Lita gathered   
up the garbage, the auburn-haired teen smiled. "Thanks a   
lot... uh..." He paused, waiting for her to supply her name.  
  
"Lita," she informed, grabbing her lunch bag.  
  
"Lita, huh? Pretty name. I'm Nathan."  
  
"So I've heard."  
  
He gave her a sly, knowing smile. "Ah, yes. The grapevine."   
Shaking his head, he continued, "Anyway, thank you, Lita. I   
appreciate it -- and so does my stomach."  
  
The ponytailed teen giggled. "Now promise me you won't   
forget your food tomorrow, okay?"  
  
For a fleeting moment, his handsome face took on a cold,   
serious look. "I don't know. I'm afraid I haven't been good   
at keeping promises." But then he smiled again, a genuinely   
warm one. "However, I'll do my best to remember."  
  
"Good enough for me," Lita replied. Standing up and   
smoothing out her tan skirt, she said, "Come on, Nathan."  
  
"Whatever for?"  
  
It was Lita's turn to frown. A bit put off by the chilling   
undercurrent in his mellow tenor, she growled, "Well, you   
don't have to if you don't want. I just thought I'd   
introduce you to my friends. But if you think you'll get   
adjusted to a new school better without knowing anyone, I   
guess that's your business." She started to turn on her heel   
and go, but paused when the auburn-haired boy raised a hand   
as if to touch her shoulder.  
  
"Wait, Lita. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, it's   
just that I've got a lot on my mind. I've been quite the   
loner for a long time, and I tend to view the world with a   
suspicious eye," Nathan said, his attitude one of apology.  
  
"Is that why you're here?"  
  
Astonished, the athletic boy blurted, "What do you mean by   
*that*?"  
  
Lita blinked her large, forest-green eyes in surprise. "I   
meant, is that why you're here in a public junior high   
instead of a private academy? The buzz said that your   
family's well-off."  
  
"Oh," Nathan replied, seemingly relieved. "Yeah, you could   
say that. I've done most of my studies either completely on   
my own or with a tutor. My uncle thought that it'd be a good   
idea if I went to a public school and see how ordinary kids   
live as well as learn how to get along with others."  
  
"You've never gone to school before?" the ponytailed   
brunette asked, astounded.  
  
"Actually, no, I haven't. Like I said, I've been tutored and   
I've done extensive research on my own. And I've managed to   
pass most of the tests thrown my way. However, I'm here now.   
I'd be honored to meet your friends. I could probably use a   
few myself," he responded, a mysterious smile gracing his   
handsome face.  
  
"Well, then, come on," she encouraged, turning around and   
striding off toward the bush where she'd first sat down.   
However, when she arrived there, she was mildly surprised to   
see that the group of teens had been joined by another girl.   
"Hi, Callie!" she called out, walking up to the short   
brunette. "Didn't see ya earlier. Where've you been?"  
  
The small, agile, brown-haired teenager replied, staring up   
at the green-eyed girl, "I decided to eat lunch with Arena   
today. She looked like she could use some company. I'm not   
sure she's having an easy time getting used to a new   
school." Glancing beyond Lita to the auburn-haired guy   
standing somewhat behind the tall teenager, Callie added,   
"Who's this?"  
  
Lita stepped aside, giving the other girl a good view. As   
tall and athletic as Lita, the newcomer had wavy,   
dark-reddish-brown hair that just brushed the tops of his   
shoulders and almost translucent emerald-green eyes.   
Although he appeared nice enough, there was something about   
him that struck a chord of wariness in Callie. *But I'm   
positive I've never seen him before... Have I?*  
  
"Callie, meet Nathan. He just transferred here from Europe,"   
the tan-uniformed teen said by way of introduction.   
"Nathan, this is Callie. She's been here for only a few   
weeks herself."  
  
"Hi there," the shorter brunette replied, feeling a little   
shy.  
  
The teen-aged boy curtly nodded in response. "Pleased to   
meet you."  
  
Lita then gestured over at the prim girl with close-cropped,   
blue-hued hair sitting on the concrete barrier. "This is   
Amy, one of my best friends."  
  
The studious girl looked up and smiled. "Pleased to make   
your acquaintance, Nathan."  
  
"You're Amy Anderson, aren't you? The girl genius I've heard   
about?"  
  
Now it was the blue-haired girl's turn to become suddenly   
shy. "Yes, that would be me," she acknowledged.  
  
Nathan smiled back. "Perhaps we'll find the time sometime to   
discuss astrophysics and debate the merits of the new   
information about the Universe we've found out through the   
use of the Hubble telescope."  
  
As everyone blinked in surprise at his comment, Lita went on   
with the introductions. Pointing at the slender blond with   
the twin, knee-length ponytails topped with spherical buns,   
she said, "This is another of my best friends, Serena."  
  
The girl just introduced didn't say anything. Instead, she   
just stood there, transfixed, gazing at the handsome boy.   
*Whatta hunkmeister!*  
  
"So this is Serena," Nathan replied, giving the blond teen a   
cold smile that suddenly made Amy suspicious. "I finally get   
an introduction to the person I've heard so much about."  
  
"Huh? You've heard about me?" Serena asked, startled.  
  
"Sure have. The grapevine, you know. You're pretty popular   
in certain circles," Nathan responded.  
  
"Wow! Imagine that! Me, popular!"  
  
While Lita quickly went on before the ponytailed blond could   
really get started, Amy continued to frown in thought,   
looking at Nathan in a whole new light. "This is Molly, one   
of Serena's close friends," the tall brunette hastily said,   
gesturing at the red-head sitting on the concrete next to   
the slender blond.  
  
The auburn-haired teen-ager stepped forward then, making his   
way through the small crowd. Stopping in front of an   
astonished Molly, he dropped to one blue-clad knee in order   
to be eye-level with her. "It's always a pleasure meeting   
such sweet loveliness," he said, his low tenor smooth.  
  
During the entire round of introductions, Melvin's neutral   
expression had slowly turned into one of annoyance as it   
became obvious just how charming the new ninth-grader could   
be. But when Nathan took Molly's hand in his and raised it   
to his lips for a quick, respectful kiss -- making the   
redhead giggle nervously and look away in embarrassment --   
the shaggy-haired boy got fed up. "Hey!" he blurted.  
  
The auburn-haired teen looked up, an eyebrow raised in a   
questioning gesture. Rising to his feet once more, he asked,   
"And you are?"  
  
"Oh, that's Melvin," Molly replied before the   
glasses-wearing boy could speak on his own behalf, having   
recovered from her astonishment.  
  
Fixing the slender red-haired girl with his emerald-green   
eyes, Nathan inquired, his voice low, "Someone of importance   
to you?"  
  
Taken by surprise, Molly's first reaction was to immediately   
reject any feelings toward the nerdy-appearing boy. But   
she'd also glanced over at Melvin at the same moment, and   
the hurt look on his face made her pause. Swallowing hard,   
she looked back up into the transfer student's fascinating   
eyes. "Yeah," she admitted to both of them. "He's been a   
really good friend to me."  
  
As all of the girls -- save Lita, whose thunderous   
expression looked like she'd gladly throw lightning bolts at   
the auburn-haired teen -- looked on in shock at the whole   
exchange, Nathan executed a bow that was as much a gesture   
of mockery toward the shorter boy as it was one of polite   
elegance. "I'm honored to meet such a good friend of   
Molly's," he said, the icy tone in his voice making the   
words a lie. "Perhaps I'll be as good a friend also some   
day." Straightening up, he glanced down at the watch on his   
right wrist. "Time to go," he remarked.  
  
The entire group of teen-agers stared at him, most of them   
at a loss for words, as he started to walk away. But he'd   
only taken a couple of steps before he stopped and looked   
back over his left shoulder at the other boy. "You know,   
Molly once knew my uncle," he informed. "You may have heard   
of him as well. He's Maxfield Stanton." With that, he was   
gone, heading off toward the building.  
  
As Serena and Molly looked at one another in astonishment   
and Amy continued to thoughtfully frown, Callie just stood   
there and kept staring at where he'd been, still not sure   
she'd witnessed what she had. Melvin stood there as well,   
feeling like a complete fool.  
  
Lita, however, was another story. With her hands on her hips   
and her entire attitude one of anger, she spat, "What an   
arrogant--" Her last word was drowned out by the ringing of   
the school bell, signaling the end of the lunch period.  
  
**********************************  
  
The room was part of a suite built in an odd shape,   
triangular in construction with the hypotenuse formed from   
the graceful curve of the Tower's outer wall. On this level   
of the black building, there were only four suites, each one   
taking up a full quarter of the circular area and accessed   
by a central hall that ran from the northeast to the   
southwest, and each one consisting of a private study, a   
bedroom and a bathroom. This particular set of rooms, when   
its windows still existed, looked out upon the area due   
south of the Tower.  
  
The door in the center of the left-hand wall opened and a   
tall figure stepped through. As he shut the door behind   
himself, he glanced around the bedchamber's contents.   
Pleasantly surprised to find everything pretty much the way   
he'd left it over a millennium ago, Kunzite found the   
familiar surroundings of his former life somehow comforting.   
With a weary sigh, his face almost as pale as his hair from   
exhaustion, he began fumbling with the pair of silver   
brooches -- each one sporting a large, faceted, violet-pink   
gemstone -- that held his pastel cloak in place. Removing   
them, he walked over to the desk just to the left of the   
entryway and set the three items on the top. He then reached   
up and pulled off the silver circlet, rubbing the spot with   
his other hand where the large, oval-faceted kunzite had   
been resting against the middle of his forehead. Setting the   
circlet down on top of his bunched-up cloak, he thought, *I   
don't ever recall being this tired before in my life, nor   
ever having this bad of a headache. However, I don't recall   
having been resurrected before either, so I guess there's a   
first time for everything.*  
  
With a wry smile on his handsome face, the silver-haired   
Gemlord strode over to the bed against the right-hand wall   
and sat down on it. Thinking back on his conversation with   
Obsidian -- or rather, interrogation -- Kunzite slowly shook   
his head. *I don't recall him being quite that persistent. I   
swear I went over every detail I knew about the Inner   
Senshi's powers at least ten times, including the powers   
that are still blocked by my and the others' efforts.  
  
*The strangest thing is that there's something not quite   
right about him. I can't put my finger on it, but he's not   
exactly the same Obsidian I remember.*  
  
With a sigh, Kunzite laid down. Lacing his fingers together   
and resting his head on his hands, he closed his   
pale-lavender eyes. As he began to slip into the meditative   
state that was the Gemlord equivalent of sleeping, he   
continued his thoughts. *I may be wrong, though. From what I   
could tell, Obsidian's been comatose from the time of our   
invasion until just recently. He speaks about it as if it   
had happened just yesterday, while it's ancient history to   
me. It could be an after-effect of the coma or it could just   
be that he hasn't had time to deal with the consequences of   
what transpired.*  
  
*As for me, I'm actually beginning to feel like myself for   
the first time in a very long time.*  
  
That thought was interrupted by a dark chuckle from deep   
within Kunzite's mind. *You're mine, Gemlord. You always   
will be.*  
  
*Not this time,* the silver-haired man shot back. *I know   
you for what you truly are now. Amazing how being dead tends   
to clear one's mind.*  
  
The dark laughter sounded again. *You chose to follow me of   
your own free will. In return for being my servant, I gave   
you what you most desired.*  
  
*You gave me nothing but lies and obsessions, using me as a   
channel for your power. You invaded my soul and twisted what   
you found there to suit your own needs, fooling me into   
believing that what I felt came from within myself and not   
from you. But I can sense the difference now, and I won't   
fall into the same trap again.*  
  
*True,* the dark voice continued. *With your death and my   
defeat, my hold on you has become tenuous. But it's only a   
matter of time. You need me and soon you'll submit to my   
will again.*  
  
*Never,* Kunzite vowed. *I am the Commander of the Southern   
Quarter, the Warrior of Elemental Fire. My duty is to serve   
the Guardian of the Gateways and to keep trash like you from   
invading the Cosmos.*  
  
That caused the dark voice to explode with laughter once   
more. *This from the man who once told the moon brat "Never   
say never"? Wait and see, Gemlord. No matter what you and   
the others do, I shall have you all under my control again,   
including Nephrite.*  
  
*What about him?* Kunzite asked, startled by the dark   
voice's mention of the one missing Gemlord.  
  
Nothing but silence answered his question. The dark voice   
was gone for the moment.  
  
Try all you want, the silver-haired commander fumed,   
addressing the stillness within. *I won't follow you this   
time. I know how you operate and I know what really happened   
to us in that cavern on Earth long ago. This time, I'm on my   
guard.* But even as he said it, he knew he was convincing no   
one with his defiant thoughts -- not even himself. 


	4. Perseus Denied

PERSEUS DENIED  
  
  
A gentle breeze blew through the sacred precincts of the   
Shinto temple, rustling the leaves of the bushy cherry trees   
that graced the temple's grounds. High up on the top   
crossbar of the spirit gate, a pair of sleek, glossy-black   
ravens peered down at the walkway below, their keen eyes   
following the movements of the teen-aged girl below.  
  
She stood on the paving stones, broom in hand, as she   
watched in frustration as the breeze scattered the debris   
she'd been sweeping back over the area she'd just cleaned.   
*Isn't that just grand,* she growled to herself as that same   
wind blew through her unbound, knee-length black hair and   
ruffled her loose-fitting, red and white temple uniform.   
*They're gonna be here any minute and I'm not done. Darn   
breeze.*  
  
Just then, the pair of ravens began to caw, making sounds   
that the violet-eyed girl recognized as an enthusiastic   
greeting.  
  
The priestess frowned. *Well, they're here. Phobos and   
Deimos only sound that happy when they show up. They know   
how important Sailor business is to me.* Looking up, the   
raven-haired teen smiled as the group of girls walked   
through the gateway that marked the entrance to the temple   
grounds.  
  
She was about to call out a greeting when another voice   
sounded. "Hello there, girls! Come on in. Good to see ya   
again!" From seemingly out of nowhere, a new figure   
appeared, zooming past the young priestess. Stopping in   
front of the crowd, the diminutive man sketched a quick,   
respectful bow, then smiled up at the teens.  
  
All of the girls smiled back, including Lita, who was still   
a bit miffed from the events of earlier that day. Callie,   
however, had to go the extra step and keep herself from   
giggling. Having been to the Cherry Hill Temple only a   
couple of other times, she still found the short,   
squinty-eyed, bald-headed, gregarious priest rather amusing.  
  
"Are you here for my super-duper blessing with all the bells   
and whistles? Or maybe a self-defense class? I'd love to be   
able to put the moves on you," the short, elderly man   
continued.  
  
"Grandpa!" the raven-haired girl barked. "Really!"  
  
"Actually, we're here to see Raye," Amy replied.  
  
"Well, okay," the priest said, sounding a touch   
disappointed. "Just remember to come see me if there's   
anything I can do for you."  
  
"We will," the short-haired teen-ager acknowledged as the   
spry old man dashed off to somewhere else.  
  
Raye rolled her violet eyes heavenward a moment, then looked   
over at the others. "You don't mind if I try finishing my   
sweeping while we wait for Mina, Luna and Artemis, do you?"  
  
"Not at all," Amy said. "We'll go sit on the temple steps so   
that we'll be out of the way."  
  
"Thanks." As the gang of girls found places on the stone   
stairs leading up to the temple's main door, the young   
priestess went back to sweeping up what the wind had   
scattered.  
  
It didn't take long, and she was just finishing up when   
Phobos and Deimos cawed out another greeting. As one, the   
five teen-agers glanced over at the gateway that lead to the   
road.  
  
The newcomer was another teen-aged girl, her willowy figure   
clad in a blue-and-white, sailor-like school uniform.   
Sunshine-blond hair fell loose to her knees, but the shiny   
locks around her pretty face were pulled back with a large,   
bright-red bow. She gave the five girls a huge, sunny smile,   
her nose crinkling upward in a cute gesture characteristic   
of her as she did so. At her feet were a pair of cats -- one   
white, one black, and both marked with a spot of fur on the   
forehead that looked just like an upward-pointing crescent   
moon.  
  
"Hi everyone!" the new blond called out. "Hope we're not too   
late, but I had a test today and the teacher wouldn't let   
anyone go until the last one was turned in."  
  
"That's okay, Mina," the blue-haired girl reassured. "Raye   
had a job to finish as well, so you haven't missed   
anything."  
  
"So what's up, Amy?" the sunny teen asked as she strode up   
to the temple steps. "It must be somethin' important since   
you asked us all to get together right after school."  
  
"Oh, Amy's goin' on some bugaboo about this new kid at   
school bein' really weird," Serena sighed. "So what if he   
claims to be Maxfield Stanton's nephew and kinda looks like   
him?"  
  
"What?" Raye exclaimed, staring at the ponytailed blond.   
"And you don't find *that* the least bit suspicious?"  
  
The slender girl shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe there really   
*is* a Maxfield Stanton and always has been? For all we   
know, Nephrite coulda just stolen someone's identity instead   
of making it totally up."  
  
"I admit that that's a possibility since there's still the   
mansion up on the hill and all of his companies checked out   
as legit, but I have some serious doubts," the intellectual   
teen responded. "There was just something about that guy   
that's convinced me it's him."  
  
"But that's not possible!" Serena shot back.  
  
"Uh, excuse me, but he who?" Mina asked, confusion all over   
her pretty face. "I think I've missed something somewhere."  
  
The tall, ponytailed brunette growled, "Isn't Nephrite that   
Negaverse warrior that you told us Molly fell for? The one   
Zoisite's creeps did in?"  
  
"That's correct," Amy confirmed. "And that's one reason why   
I'm so suspicious. You saw what he did to Molly."  
  
"He who?" Mina asked again, frowning slightly.  
  
"Oh, sorry. You and Raye weren't there," Callie jumped in.   
"The new kid at our school. He's a transfer student from   
Europe who calls himself Nathan Sanford and says he's   
Stanton's nephew."  
  
"I don't care what he said," the athletic brunette groused,   
her expression still as dark as a thundercloud. "He's a   
complete jerk."  
  
The sunny blond glanced over at the others, a questioning   
look on her face.  
  
The shorter brunette gave Mina a strained smile. "Lita's got   
another crush. She saw Nathan and flipped for him, but it   
looks like he's interested in someone else."  
  
"She shared her lunch with him, but when she brought him   
over to introduce him to us, he actually knelt down and   
kissed Molly's hand," the ponytailed blond added. "It was so   
*romantic*, just like in the movies. He even said that it   
was a pleasure meeting such sweet loveliness."  
  
The raven-haired teen fixed the other girl with her piercing   
violet gaze. "He says he's related to Stanton and does   
*that* when he meets Molly? And you don't think that's   
suspicious?"  
  
"Lay off, Raye," Serena growled. "I never said I didn't   
think it was weird. I just said that it couldn't be   
Nephrite."  
  
"And the way he insulted poor Melvin," the blue-haired girl   
sighed. "I really felt sorry for him. He's such a sweet guy   
deep inside and he's been a loyal friend to Molly. Even if   
Nathan turns out to be just another human, I'm afraid the   
new guy's going to mean trouble for Melvin."  
  
"If he's really Nephrite, then he may also mean trouble for   
Molly," Raye cut in. "Who knows what he's up to this time or   
what he's got in mind for her."  
  
A worried look on her pretty face, the sunny blond asked,   
"Do you really think so? I mean, it sounds like this Nathan   
guy cares about her. Other than acting like a complete boor   
to everyone else, what else has he done so far?"  
  
"Nothing that I know of," Amy replied. "Today was his first   
day at our school. But I swear he was deliberately   
challenging us."  
  
"Come on, Amy," Serena sighed. "You're imagining things.   
Nephrite's dead. We watched him die. The bad guys don't come   
back."  
  
"And just where's that written in stone?" Raye sniped.  
  
As the ponytailed blond and the raven-haired teen glared at   
one another, Mina glanced down at the felines at her feet.   
"What do you guys think we should do?"  
  
"That's a toughie," the white cat replied in a   
human-sounding, male voice. Looking at the black cat, the   
feline asked, "What's your opinion, Luna?"  
  
The black-furred cat sat down for a moment, her ears   
flattened in thought. "I agree with Amy in that the whole   
thing sounds fishy, but I think the most prudent course of   
action is to wait and see what happens. If Nathan's just a   
normal human, then we wouldn't want to give ourselves away   
to him. And if he's really Nephrite somehow back from the   
dead, then we'll find out what he's up to soon enough."  
  
"But you girls'll need to keep an eye on both this Nathan   
guy and Molly," the white cat added. "If Amy's misgivings   
are right, then Serena's friend may end up in a lot of   
trouble again."  
  
"Raye?" Callie spoke up, getting the priestess's attention.   
"Would it be possible for you to do a fire-reading? Maybe we   
can find out something definite that way."  
  
The violet-eyed girl scowled. "I just can't snap my fingers   
and see a vision, you know. A fire-reading takes time and   
preparation."  
  
Callie frowned back. "I know, but if there's any way we can   
get to the truth of the matter, then we should." For just a   
second, the short brunette's posture became one of someone   
used to having her orders followed. "If we have a former   
Negaverse warrior back, then there may be trouble ahead. We   
need to be prepared."  
  
"Well then, we should just march up to this Nathan guy and   
make him tell us what's going on," Lita replied. She then   
added, muttering under her breath, "I shoulda decked him in   
the schoolyard."  
  
"That's really using your head," Callie sarcastically said.   
"We'd find out for sure what he's up to then."  
  
As the tall brown-haired girl stared at the shorter teen,   
the raven-haired priestess sighed. "Okay, I'll do it. I had   
things ready to go anyway." Looking at the five other   
teen-agers, she continued, "I had a bad feeling all day   
yesterday, so I was planning on doing one until Amy called   
on the communicator saying that we needed to get together.   
However, I'm going to need total quiet from all of you."   
Raye then walked up the temple steps toward the building's   
main doors.  
  
As the others followed the priestess, the white cat strode   
next to the tall brunette. "Lita, I want you to promise me   
that you won't confront Nathan by yourself."  
  
The ponytailed girl looked down, her expression crestfallen.   
"Aw, Artemis! Don't make me promise that. I know I can get   
to the bottom of what's going on--"  
  
"I want that promise, Lita! We don't know what we're getting   
into just yet. We need to go easy," the light-furred feline   
interrupted.  
  
Lita gave Artemis a dark frown. "All right, I promise. I   
won't go after him and ask him if he's really a Negaverse   
warrior by myself. But I *am* going to keep an eye on him."  
  
Artemis smiled, his tail straight up in the air in   
satisfaction. "I can live with that. Come on, let's see what   
the fire's got to say to Raye."  
  
The dark-haired priestess waited by the doorway until the   
last person strode through the huge double doors. Just as   
she was tugging them closed, Phobos and Deimos flew through,   
winging their way across the room and into the inner   
sanctum.  
  
One by one, the girls knelt down on the floor a respectful   
distance from the sacred hearth, the pair of cats near their   
charges. Coming to a landing, the glossy ravens each stood   
at a corner of the hearth, looking over at Raye as she   
slowly walked past the kneeling teens. A serene expression   
on her pretty face, the priestess was already centered and   
beginning to slide into a meditative state as she bowed   
before the hearth then knelt down in front of it. Her mind   
clear of all thought, she slipped deeper into her trance as   
her body performed the intricate moves of the lighting   
ceremony by rote, each precise movement drilled into her   
very flesh through unending practice.  
  
Once the ceremony was complete and the sacred fire was   
burning brightly, Raye set aside her props and began staring   
into the heart of the flames. *Sacred fire, hear my call,*   
she thought, beginning a litany that would hopefully bring   
her the visions she sought. Someone from the past may be   
here again and I'm worried about Molly and my friends. Show   
me the truth behind this Nathan Sanford. Why is he here?*   
Concentrating on those thoughts, the priestess continued to   
gaze within the flames.  
  
Around her, silence permeated the sanctuary as the small   
crowd of girls watched. For a long time, no one moved, and   
the only sound to be heard was the crackling of the fire.   
Finally, however, the black cat next to Serena stood and   
stalked over to where Raye knelt before the hearth. As the   
brace of ravens gave her the evil eye, Luna asked, her voice   
barely above a whisper, "What do you see?"  
  
The black-haired priestess kept her violet eyes on the fire,   
the eerie orangish glow reflecting off the sheen of   
perspiration that covered her face from her effort in   
concentration. "I can't quite pull the images in," she said,   
her voice sounding far-off and distracted. "It's almost as   
if there's something screening out my ability to see. All   
I'm getting are symbols. I see a green square eclipsed by   
the symbol of the planet Earth and a star shining in a heart   
of darkness. I can see the Wheel of Karma spinning full   
circle and feel the winds of change. The Wheel keeps   
spinning, getting bigger with each turn, and now I see more   
symbols within it.  
  
"I see a double-armed spiral encased in ice, submerged   
within a pool of dark water. Now there's a compass-star, a   
pair of symbols linked together at each of the cardinal   
points and surrounded by a colored light. To the East, the   
symbol of Mars lies within a circle and is surrounded by a   
golden light. To the South, the symbol of Venus lies within   
a diamond and is surrounded by red light. To the West, the   
symbol of Mercury lies within a triangle and is surrounded   
by an azure light. To the North, the symbol of Jupiter lies   
within a square and is surrounded by an emerald light. In   
the center, the crescent moon floats above while its   
reflection shimmers in the dark water below. Yet throughout   
it all, there's an undercurrent of frigid darkness,   
something clawing at the Wheel of Karma, trying to make it   
stop..." The raven-haired girl's voice trailed off.  
  
For a few moments more, Raye stared silently into the fire.   
Finally, however, she took a deep breath, letting it out in   
a long sigh as she bowed again to the sacred flames.   
Turning a bit and looking at the others, she said, "That's   
it. I couldn't see anything more." Frowning slightly, she   
added, "I'm sorry if it didn't help much, but it felt like   
something was blocking my sight. I'm lucky to have gotten   
anything at all."  
  
"That's okay, Raye," the sunny blond reassured, smiling.   
"You did your best. That's what counts."  
  
"I still think we should just take the direct approach,"   
Lita growled.  
  
"Remember your promise," Artemis admonished.  
  
The tall brunette gave the white cat a dirty look. "Don't   
worry. I'll keep it. But six on one's good odds, even   
against a Negaverse warrior."  
  
"Hey, leave me outta this," Callie said. "I'm supposed to   
use my powers only to back up yours, and that's after the   
situation's gotten beyond your control."  
  
"Fine, then" Lita shot right back. "Five on one. We can   
still do it."  
  
"I don't know," Raye thoughtfully said. "I think Luna's   
right."  
  
Everyone stared at the fiery priestess in surprise. "You're   
usually all hot to tackle the problem head-on," Serena   
pointed out.  
  
"I know, but I don't like what the fire showed me. I've got   
the sense that there's a lot of karma tied up in this. And   
whenever there's karma involved, we all need to watch our   
step."  
  
"Then it's agreed? We just watch and wait, keeping an eye on   
both Molly and Nathan?" Amy asked.  
  
"Fine by me," Mina replied. Glancing around, the sunny blond   
saw all of the others -- save Lita -- nodding their heads.   
The tall brunette just continued to frown. "Lita?"  
  
Looking around and finding that the others were staring at   
her in expectation, the athletic girl sighed. "Oh, all   
right. I suppose I shouldn't have let that bother me. But I   
was so nice to him and he was such a jerk." Lita sighed   
again, her forest-green eyes filled with a far-off   
expression. "But what a *dreamy* jerk!"  
  
Serena giggled. "I suppose that means you won't mind keeping   
an eye on him, huh?"  
  
"Uh, uh. Not at all . . ."  
  
That got everyone in the temple laughing.  
  
**************************************  
  
A lone figure walked rapidly along the city's sidewalk, her   
brisk pace shielding her from the breeze of the blustery   
afternoon. Another gust of wind was channeled down the   
street, ruffling the short girl's shoulder-blade-length   
golden-brown hair and the knee-length dark-blue pleated   
skirt of her school uniform. The teen-ager shivered slightly   
at that one and frowned in annoyance, her green eyes taking   
on a bluish hue. *Honestly, Callista Summers,* she thought   
to herself, *you can be a real ditz sometimes. I just hope   
they'll let me back into school so I can get my jacket.*   
Sighing, she shook her head, bouncing the small ponytail in   
which the hair around her pretty face was caught. The rest   
of her hair -- including the pair of long, thin locks just   
in front of her ears -- danced in the afternoon breeze.   
*Then again, who can blame me for forgetting my jacket, what   
with Lita practically dragging me off to the temple right   
after school to discuss what happened.*  
  
Callie smiled then, her eyes changing back to predominantly   
green. *At least we got Lita to calm down. And the others   
aren't going to do anything drastic just yet. I'd rather   
avoid a confrontation then fight any day.*  
  
High above on a rooftop, a tall figure stared down at the   
brunette teen walking along the street at a brisk pace. As   
the wind blew his long silver hair into his face and made   
his lavender-pink cloak billow, he narrowed his eyes in a   
wolfish manner as he gazed down at his prey. *She's just a   
mere child,* he thought in mild disgust. Shrugging slightly,   
he continued, *But it's not my place to question my orders.*  
  
Down below, Callie glanced at the watch on her wrist. *Oh   
man! Look at the time! I've got so much stuff to do!* Eyes   
turning bluish again in frustration, she picked up her pace   
even more. *Why couldn't they make these uniforms with   
pockets?* she groused. *My keys, my money, my everything's   
in my coat.* Looking off to the side, the short girl saw   
that she was striding next to a park. *If I cut through here   
and go down that alley on the other side, I'll come out just   
down the street from the school.* With that, she left the   
sidewalk and plunged into the grass-covered space.  
  
Up on the rooftop, the tall figure continued to watch his   
target with pale-lavender eyes.  
  
Callie sprinted through the park -- skillfully and   
gracefully dodging the skateboarders, bicyclists, kids and   
other people enjoying the brisk yet sunny day -- using her   
haste in collecting her jacket as an excuse to stretch her   
legs. The lithe teen-ager loved to run. It was the closest   
thing she could do to actually flying.  
  
Emerging from the far side of the green space, her   
bluish-green eyes having undertones of violet from the pure   
exhilaration of life, Callie paused long enough to see if   
there was any traffic traveling along the street. Seeing   
none, she dashed across the asphalt and into the alley. Had   
she looked skyward as well, she would've seen a tall,   
cloaked figure on the roof overlooking the narrow lane.  
  
She was jogging down the alley, still thrilling in the feel   
of the speed, when a sudden, overwhelming sense of something   
*wrong* hit her. Stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes   
instantly changing to grayish-green in fright, she quickly   
glanced around. She didn't have long to wait. Within   
seconds, a tall figure appeared out of thin air right in   
front of her.  
  
With his arms stretched out to either side and his cloak   
billowing in the wind that blew down between the buildings,   
the newcomer seemed to fill up the entire space in front of   
the momentarily-terrified Callie. Despite his new, vaguely   
medieval-appearing outfit, his face was the same   
coldly-handsome one that sometimes haunted her nightmares.   
He was looking at her now as he had then, an arrogantly   
confident look in his pale-lavender eyes.  
  
Callie stood frozen -- staring up at the silver-haired man   
-- until he reached out to grab the agile teen. Acting on   
pure instinct, the golden-brown-haired girl danced back and   
to the side of his reach, then spun on her heel and ran.   
Desperation adding to her speed, she fairly flew back down   
the narrow street, fully expecting an energy blast or   
something to be tossed her way. Much to her surprise,   
nothing happened as she turned the corner and zipped through   
the nearest door she could find.  
  
Looking around as she leaned up against the door and tried   
to catch her breath, the short brunette found herself in a   
small bookstore. Knowing that she'd be safe as long as she   
stayed near other people, Callie made her way to the back of   
the store, keeping a wary eye out just in case she was   
wrong. Reaching up and randomly pulling a book off a shelf   
up against the back wall, she opened it to no page in   
particular and pretended to browse. However, her mind was on   
other things now that she could start thinking again.  
  
*By all the powers of the Galaxy, what is *Kunzite* doing   
here? He's supposed to be *dead*! I watched Sailor Moon turn   
his own weapon against him before she and the Scouts took on   
Beryl herself.* Callie couldn't help shuddering. *First that   
Nathan guy, and now this? What in the name of the Silver   
Crystal is going on around here?* She closed her eyes, now   
blue-gray with worry and stress. *For over a thousand years,   
his image has haunted me, taunting me about that day when I   
saw friends turn traitor and destroy nearly everything I   
held dear. My duty was to guard the princesses, to augment   
their powers with mine, but because I was caught off-guard,   
I failed. And ever since, I've been afraid to fight, fearing   
that I would fail again.  
  
*But when I sensed that the princesses might have returned   
and went back home to find them reborn and fighting the   
Negaforce anew, I rejoiced in getting a second chance. Yes,   
I held back and watched their battles, not interfering like   
I was originally bidden to do, but then I wanted to get   
involved. So when those other attacks began, I revealed   
myself to the Scouts and fought with them. With every   
confrontation, my self-esteem became repaired just that much   
more. But now--*  
  
She opened her eyes, now beginning to be tinged with violet,   
and glanced down at the book she held. Startled to find   
that not only was it a handbook on minerals and precious   
stones but that she had also somehow unerringly turned it to   
the page featuring the beautiful purplish-pink variety of   
spodumene called kunzite, she frowned. *It always seems to   
come back to him, doesn't it?* she asked herself, thinking   
about the stern, silver-haired warrior.  
  
Just then, a short, elderly man with thinning gray hair and   
cold, ice-blue eyes walked up to the golden-brown-haired   
teen. "Either buy something or go somewhere else," he   
growled.  
  
With a decisive *snap*, Callie shut the mineral book and   
replaced it on the shelf. Smiling and giving the man a   
slight bow of apology, she replied, "Forgive me, I didn't   
mean to annoy you. It's just that I didn't find what I was   
looking for here." Her pretty face set in determination and   
her eyes violet-aqua with confidence, she silently said,   
*I'm tired of a millennium of running. If I'm truly going to   
be the guardian of the princesses again, I must confront my   
fears.*  
  
She strode through the bookstore, the elderly proprietor   
glaring at her as she went. The lithe girl hesitated a   
moment at the front door, her hand on the doorknob, then she   
took the plunge and stepped back outside. Carefully   
searching around, she saw no sign of the lavender-cloaked   
man; however, she could sense that he was still around. She   
frowned. *Is he after me or Andromeda? I need to be   
careful...*  
  
She stalked back down the alleyway, every nerve at the   
ready. Even then, she was still caught by surprise. She had   
almost made it to the other end of the lane when a cold wind   
stirred behind her and a heavy hand grabbed her by her right   
shoulder. Worst of all, she could feel her energy being   
sucked into that hand the moment it touched her.  
  
Biting back her shout of surprise, Callie escaped the   
energy-sapping hold by nimbly twisting down and away.   
Jumping back and whirling around, the agile teen stood in a   
ready stance, the wind rustling the sailor-like collar and   
blue skirt of her school uniform.  
  
With the fluid gracefulness she remembered so well, Kunzite   
stepped back into a fighting stance also, his pale eyes   
narrowing in contempt. His deep voice harsh, he said,   
"You're no match for me, child, should you choose to fight.   
And don't think you can get away should you choose to flee."  
  
Callie's own expression became one of grim defiance, her   
eyes turning violet-blue with her determination. *He's   
right. Like this, I don't have a chance.* A snarl on her   
pretty face, she scornfully spat, "Just watch me!" With a   
quick spin, she was gone, running down the alley as fast as   
she could go.  
  
She sprinted down the sidewalk, her longish hair flying,   
heading for the campus of the near-by junior high.   
*Somewhere in there I should find a secluded enough spot.*   
Making it to her school with no further incidents, she   
darted between a couple of buildings, then looked around the   
small courtyard in which she'd ended up. This time, she   
glanced skyward as well, remembering the silver-haired   
warrior's fondness for high places. Seeing him nowhere in   
sight, she threw up a hand. "This time, he's gonna pay.   
Andromeda *Power*!"  
  
The transformation was as swift as it was beautiful. A swirl   
of glittering-yellow light enveloped her, obscuring her form   
and stripping away the school uniform. In its place was a   
white, sailor-like suit with a royal-purple pleated   
mini-skirt fastened in the back with a large dark-blue bow,   
a royal-purple collar also with a dark-blue bow--a golden,   
star-shaped locket pinned to its center--and a long   
dark-blue cape fastened to the shoulders with golden,   
star-shaped brooches. Dark-blue knee-high boots appeared on   
Callie's feet and legs while elbow-length white gloves with   
royal-purple trim covered her arms and hands. Around her   
slender neck appeared a dark-blue velvet choker with a   
glittering, golden star and on her forehead formed a golden   
tiara, an oval-shaped deep-purple cabochon stone shining in   
the center. When the swirl of glittering, golden light faded   
away, Sailor Andromeda stood at the ready.  
  
A low chuckle filled the air. "Well, well. What do we have   
here? I guess Obsidian knew what he was doing after all."  
  
Eyes now violet with courage and determination, Sailor   
Andromeda glanced upward again. This time, the silver-haired   
warrior's form silhouetted the sky.  
  
Slowly, carefully, hoping that he wouldn't notice what she   
was doing, the sailor-suited Scout reached a hand up toward   
the star-locket on her front bow. "We have a score to   
settle, traitor."  
  
In reply, Kunzite leaped off the roof, using his ability to   
levitate to float gracefully down to the ground. Bracing   
himself in a battle-ready stance, he stared past his   
upraised hands at the female warrior, cold amusement in his   
pale-lavender eyes. "We must've hashed you Outer Senshi   
pretty bad that day," he said.  
  
The brunette girl glared back, the fingers of her right hand   
subtly unfastening the piece of golden jewelry from the   
bow's dark-blue fabric. "Whatever gave you that idea,   
Kunzite?" she spat.  
  
The tall warrior gave his opponent a smirk that was as   
frosty as the color of his hair. "This is the first time   
I've seen any of you since that day we trashed the Moon   
Kingdom. The Inners have been active again for quite a while   
now."  
  
They continued to stare at one another, each one ready for   
the other's move.  
  
**************************************  
  
A scene from over a millennium ago: The infinite silence of   
space, millions of stars glittering like jewels in the   
darkness. In the distance, the white-swirled blue globe of   
the Earth can be seen, a strange, dark shadow sucking up the   
planet's usually bright reflection. Five figures float in   
the silence, each one a grim-faced, sailor-suited warrior of   
the Silver Millennium. Arranged in a line -- their backs to   
the Moon -- the mini-skirted girls stare down at the   
darkened Earth.  
  
Sailor Andromeda is among them, positioned just to the right   
of the line's center between a stern Senshi with   
shoulder-length, straight, black hair wielding a formidable   
pole-arm-style weapon and a mysteriously-beautiful woman   
with long, flowing, deep-green hair holding a key-like   
staff. "What in the name of the Silver Crystal is going on   
down there?" the golden-brown-haired warrior asks, frowning   
at the shadow-shrouded planet.  
  
The Senshi with the straight, black hair points to the   
darkened globe with the double-bladed head of her pole-arm.   
"A force of great destruction has been awakened. Even= now,   
it gathers its minions."  
  
On the far left of the line of warriors, a tall, athletic   
Senshi with close-cropped, straight, dark-golden-blond hair   
swings a curved, jewel-adorned sword in practice. "How in   
the Galaxy did it manage to get here without us sensing it?   
That's what I'd like to know."  
  
The warrior on the opposite end of the line frowns, her   
deep-green hair flowing in the solar wind. "I believe it may   
have had help. I sense the powers of the Elements in this."  
  
Sailor Andromeda looks at the Senshi to her right. "Are you   
sure about that, Pluto?" When the Guardian of Time only   
gives her a mysterious smile in response, the   
blue-and-purple-uniformed Senshi scowls. "But that would   
mean--"  
  
"That may explain why we lost Lithos first, then," a new   
voice speaks. Its source is the female soldier between the   
glaive-wielding warrior in the center and the sword-bearing   
Senshi on the left end. Her shoulder-length, wavy, sea-green   
hair stirring in the solar wind, she continues, "I'd heard   
rumors that they weren't happy with their latest assignment.   
Those poor Gemlords on Lithos. Do you think any of them   
survived?"  
  
The stern Scout in the center gets an even colder expression   
on her pretty face. "At least the Great Mirror remains free   
of the destruction's influence. If nothing else, the   
Guardian of the Gateways did his job this day."  
  
"What in the moons of Uranus was Lord Obsidian thinking when   
he assigned that job to them?" the short-haired,   
sword-bearing warrior growls. "Like us, their duties are to   
patrol the far reaches of Space. Ordering them to stay put   
on one little planet and guard a prisoner goes contrary to   
every duty they're supposed to do."  
  
Sailor Andromeda's dark expression becomes darker. "Ours is   
not the place to question the choices of the Guardian of   
Space, Uranus," she snarls back. "Besides, they always   
seemed so happy whenever they were with the inner-planet   
Princesses."  
  
"Behold!" the somber Scout in the center shouts, getting the   
attention of the others. Pointing at the Earth again with   
her wicked-looking glaive, she adds, "The destruction   
comes!"  
  
As one, the five Senshi watch, expressions of trepidation   
and anticipation on their pretty faces, as the dark shadow   
peels itself from the blue planet and leaps into space,   
forming a tidal wave of blackness that blots out the stars.   
Thousands of armed warriors march within the darkness, the   
Seven Shadows leading the way with the gray-clad Gemlords   
escorting them. In the heart of the swirling blackness, the   
demonic-appearing Queen Beryl urges her army on while the   
enormous presence of the Negaforce itself looms over the   
rushing force.  
  
Noticing just how rapidly the dark army's advancing, Sailor   
Andromeda turns to the somber Senshi in the center of their   
formation. "Now, Saturn!" she shouts. "They're almost on   
us!"  
  
Without a sound or even an acknowledgment of Sailor   
Andromeda's words, Sailor Saturn glides forward and   
brandishes her glaive. "Silence Wall!" she commands.  
  
The instant her words were out, however, the quartet of   
gray-uniformed Gemlord warriors disappear, the Seven Shadows   
with them. As a thick energy wall materializes in front of   
the oncoming army, Sailor Uranus readies her sword and looks   
around. "Power up, Senshi!" she yells. "The Elementals   
teleported past the Wall!"  
  
Meanwhile, Sailor Saturn shudders as the dark army slams   
into her energy barrier. Her face even more stern from her   
effort in concentration, she pours more power into the Wall,   
attempting to completely surround the force of darkness   
within the impenetrable barrier.  
  
As the four remaining Scouts scan the area warily, the   
generals reappear with the Seven Shadows right in front of   
Sailor Pluto. The Shadows rush the deep-green-haired   
Guardian of Time while the gray-clad generals disappear   
again.  
  
"Cowards!" Sailor Uranus spits, watching the quartet blink   
out. Facing towards Sailor Pluto, she takes aim with her   
sword.  
  
Quickly moving to find a better angle of attack, the   
sea-green-haired soldier also takes aim at the Shadows   
harassing the Senshi of Time.  
  
Soaring upwards out of the line of fire of the other two   
warriors, Sailor Andromeda holds her hands outward,   
preparing an attack as well.  
  
Just as the short-haired Senshi prepares to release the   
energy humming within her sword, a gray-clad figure appears   
right in front of her and just to the side, slamming down   
hard on the bejeweled blade with a shimmering,   
nearly-invisible sword of his own. As the energy harmlessly   
explodes outward between them, the Gemlord with the short,   
curly, light-blond hair snarls, "Better watch your mouth,   
Uranus," his amber eyes cold.  
  
The athletic Senshi narrows her eyes in anger. She moves   
forward and swings back at Jadeite, only to have her blade   
crash up against the Elemental warrior's semi-transparent   
shield. Startled, fully expecting her Space Sword to cut   
through the Gemlord's defenses, Sailor Uranus barely blocks   
Jadeite's next attack.  
  
With a battle cry of "*Jei*!" the gray-clad warrior presses   
his attacks. The sword fight is on.  
  
Still aiming at a Shadow viciously attacking the Guardian of   
Time, the sea-green-haired Scout shouts, "Deep Submerge!" As   
her power locks in and a tunnel of swirling sea-water begins   
to form around her, a whirl of cherry-blossom petals   
suddenly appears. From the center of the twirling petals   
comes a strident, feminine voice, "Ice-Surround Crystalize!"   
The Scout watches in mild horror as her attack of swirling   
water freezes into a tunnel of solid ice that frames the   
gray-clad form of a slender, golden-blond-haired woman.   
Floating before the Senshi, her left leg curled up tight and   
her right leg straight down with pointed toes, Zoisite gives   
the other warrior a catty look.  
  
As the sailor-suited warrior glares and extends a hand, a   
hand-mirror materializing out of nowhere, the slender   
Gemlord thrusts her own arm forward. Shouting "*Zoi*!" she   
lets loose with a telekinetic blast that shatters the ice,   
sending thousands of razor-sharp crystals hurtling toward   
the sea-green-haired Senshi.  
  
Acting on pure instinct, the pretty Senshi holds up her   
mirror in front of her face as a shield and looks away from   
the flying ice. The sharp crystals rip through her hair and   
sailor-like suit, leaving her tattered and bloodied. Before   
the soldier can recover, Zoisite materializes a   
wicked-looking ice sword and zooms in, pressing her   
advantage.  
  
Meanwhile, Sailor Saturn continues to grimly concentrate on   
holding back the enemy with her Wall. With the full power of   
the Negaforce pushing against it, trying to break its way   
through, the somber Scout has virtually no attention to   
spare to focus on the gray-clad, dark-haired warrior that   
appears nearby.  
  
His long, auburn hair flowing in the solar wind, Nephrite   
looks up toward the pinpoints of light that sparkle in the   
darkness. "I call upon the full power of the stars!" he   
shouts, raising a hand. "Aries the Ram! Taurus the Bull!   
Leo the Lion! Sagittarius the Archer! Aquila the Eagle!   
Canis Major the Great Dog! Centaurus the Centaur! Corvus   
the Raven! Draco the Dragon! Hydra the Water-Serpent! Lupus   
the Wolf! Lynx the Lynx! Serpens the Serpent! Orion the   
Hunter! Ursa Major the Great Bear! Constellation Energize!"   
As he calls their names, the star patterns begin to glow   
with an eerie light, solidifying into fearsome spirit   
warriors with the characteristics of the constellation from   
which they were formed.  
  
The stern Senshi of Destruction gives the Elemental warrior   
a cold smile. With her powers and her focus split between   
holding back the Negaforce and its army from their advance   
to the Moon and defending herself against the star-born   
creatures and Nephrite himself, she knows she faces a losing   
battle.  
  
On the far right of the Scouts' faltering line, Sailor Pluto   
continues to gracefully dodge and block the continual   
assault of the Seven Shadows, having time enough to only   
occasionally connect with a blow from her key-shaped staff.   
To her consternation, her hits seem to have little effect on   
the red-eyed Shadows.  
  
"Andromeda Stars--" the fifth Senshi begins, determined to   
help Sailor Pluto, only to stop as a tall form materializes   
right in front of her. His silver hair and white cloak   
billowing in the solar wind, Kunzite stands at the ready,   
giving Sailor Andromeda a cold, contemptuous stare. The   
brunette soldier's expression of surprise and dismay quickly   
changes to indignant rage. "Traitor!" she yells. "How could   
you? Why did you join this scum against Queen Serenity?   
What about Princess Venus?"  
  
The Elemental warrior laughs, frosty and harsh. "I've found   
someone much better than that simpering wimp," he snaps. "As   
for Queen Serenity and her Silver Millennium, they mean less   
than nothing to me. They're only insignificant insects   
that'll be crushed by the might of the Negaforce. After   
today, we will rule the Cosmos."  
  
"You're insane," Sailor Andromeda gasps. The reality of the   
situation settling in, she whispers to herself, "Forgive me,   
Princess Venus, but he must be stopped." With that, the   
sailor-suited warrior finishes her trigger-phrase, sending   
the energy of her attack at the gray-clad figure. "Strike!"  
  
With a fluid movement, Kunzite grabs a corner of his cloak   
and wraps the white cloth around his tall form. The twin   
spheres of glittering-yellow light slam into him but do   
nothing as their energy is absorbed. Tossing aside the   
cloak, the silver-haired warrior then holds his hands out to   
either side, a wicked-looking, boomerang-shaped blade of   
purplish-pink energy forming in each hand. With a shout of   
"*Zai*! he flings the slicers at the girl.  
  
The blue-caped Senshi leaps aside in an attempt to dodge the   
whirling blades, only to feel their sting as they swarm   
around her when Kunzite telekinetically directs them to her   
new position. Despite the numerous shallow slashes in her   
hair, uniform and skin, Sailor Andromeda grits her teeth and   
keeps her concentration. Holding up a hand, she shouts,   
"Starshield Protect!" Her slender form becomes enveloped in   
a soft glow of glittering-yellow light, creating a barrier   
through which the slicers could no longer reach her.  
  
With a snarl on his handsome face, the gray-clad warrior   
recalls the slicers to his hands, realizing that their power   
was no longer effective. At the same moment, Sailor   
Andromeda takes the opportunity to launch another attack.   
"Star Power Destroy!" she shouts, throwing her hands   
forward.  
  
Kunzite, who had momentarily shut his eyes in order to   
concentrate more power into his slicers, suddenly looks up   
at the Scout at the sound of her voice -- and sees the   
brilliant beam of highly-concentrated energy speeding his   
way. A look of pure shock forms on his face as his form   
abruptly disappears, leaving the beam of energy to travel   
onward and strike one of the Shadows fighting Sailor Pluto.  
  
Although disappointed at missing her target, Sailor   
Andromeda smiles in grim triumph as she watches the   
deep-green-haired Senshi follow through on a vicious swing   
to the Shadow she'd just hit. Visibly weakened, the Shadow   
pulls back, allowing the Guardian of Time room to escape the   
circle of Shadows and retreat to a better position of   
attack.  
  
However, it becomes Sailor Andromeda's turn to be surprised   
as she hears Kunzite's deep voice snarl from *behind* her,   
"Dark Energy Electrify!" Spinning around, her long blue cape   
flying, she sees the silver-haired warrior floating there --   
his hands outstretched and pointing to either side with his   
slicers and a cold smirk on his face -- while a sphere of   
black energy forms around her.  
  
Glaring through the dark barrier at the Elemental warrior,   
Sailor Andromeda sets up her attack again. "Star Power   
Destroy!" To her dismay, the intense beam of   
glittering-yellow light gets sucked into the dark sphere,   
making the barrier a deeper shade of black. Suddenly   
frightened, for she didn't remember any of the Elementals   
being quite *this* powerful, the golden-brown-haired Sailor   
lets her Starshield fade away. For her next attempt, she   
would need all her energy.  
  
"Go ahead and try again," Kunzite taunts the trapped Scout.   
"I promise you, you won't break the sphere." Still   
concentrating on the globe, the silver-haired warrior   
casually tosses the slicer in his left hand up in a graceful   
arc. Catching it in his right hand, the twin slicers blend   
into a single, larger violet-pink blade.  
  
Crossing her arms in front of her blue-bowed chest and   
pulling her legs up tight, the sailor-suited warrior tapped   
into her full power. "Andromeda Supernova--" she begins, her   
form glowing with a steadily-increasing, bright,   
glittering-yellow light. When her slender figure shines with   
the intensity of a small sun, she throws herself into a   
spread-eagled position, shouting the end of her trigger,   
"*Explode*!"The energy erupts outward in all directions,   
slamming hard against the dark sphere.  
  
Kunzite narrows his eyes and grits his teeth, fighting to   
maintain the globe as Sailor Andromeda's power hits it.   
Beneath the pressure, the black sphere expands outward and   
becomes semi-transparent, forcing the silver-haired warrior   
to reach deep within his reserves to keep the barrier   
intact.  
  
When the light of her attack fades away, the soldier is   
horrified to find that the dark sphere held. Quickly   
glancing at Kunzite, she notices that maintaining the globe   
must have cost him dearly; his face is almost as pale as his   
hair and glimmers with a sheen of sweat. Realizing that it   
wouldn't take much more to break the barrier, the Senshi   
prepares another assault.  
  
But the gray-clad warrior is quicker. "Dark Energy Shrink!"   
he snaps, and the globe collapses in on the Scout.  
  
Finding herself suddenly unable to move, the black energy of   
the globe slowly crushing her slender form, Sailor Andromeda   
knows that she's lost the battle. Looking around the best   
she can, she tries to see how the others are doing.  
  
Far in the distance, she could see Sailor Uranus and Jadeite   
battling it out with swords. With slash and parry, thrust   
and dodge, the Scout and the Gemlord appear equally matched,   
although to Sailor Andromeda it looks as if Jadeite's been   
forced to take a more defensive stance in his movements.   
However, she could also see that he had managed to push   
Sailor Uranus back a fair distance, creating a huge gap   
between her and the other Senshi.  
  
Also in the distance, the sea-green-haired Senshi and   
Zoisite are still struggling as well, the slender Gemlord   
having pushed the sailor-suited warrior back from the Wall   
and away from Sailor Uranus. The gray-clad woman continues   
to viciously hack away, occasionally attempting to blind the   
Senshi with a blast of cherry-blossom petals. To her credit,   
the sea-green-haired female is able to gracefully dance away   
from the other's attacks and close for a few retaliatory   
hits of her own. As Sailor Andromeda watches, the other   
Senshi connects, slapping Zoisite hard across the face with   
the back of her hand-mirror. As the female Elemental is sent   
flying, the sea-green-haired warrior pauses, looking first   
over at Sailor Uranus and then Sailor Saturn, obviously at a   
loss as to whom she should go help.  
  
Following the other's gaze, the trapped soldier quickly   
glances over to where Sailor Saturn still holds the Silence   
Wall against the power of the Negaforce. With one hand held   
up as a focus for maintaining the Wall, the grim,   
black-haired Senshi swings her deadly glaive around   
single-handed, trying her best to fend off the crowd of   
star-born monsters that encircle her. Under Nephrite's   
command, the star-monsters charge in groups -- coming in   
fast, slashing away and retreating before the Silence Glaive   
could connect.  
  
Although able to destroy about half of the constellations   
with the wicked edge of her Glaive, Sailor Saturn can't keep   
all of the star-monsters' attacks from hitting their mark.   
Mauled and bloody, her energy fading fast from both holding   
back the dark army and her wounds, the stern Scout bows her   
head, beginning to power up what energy she had left into   
her weapon of last resort.  
  
The dark-haired Elemental quickly orders all of the   
remaining star-monsters to the attack, then bows his own   
head and crosses his arms over his chest. "Powers of the   
Negaforce, help me unleash the full fury of the stars!" he   
yells as Sailor Saturn, her body beginning to glow with an   
awesome violet aura, disappears beneath the pile of clawing,   
hacking, slashing, biting and ripping star-monsters. Sailor   
Andromeda stares in horror as the circling orbits of a pair   
of miniature planets appear before the auburn-haired   
Gemlord's hands. With a war-cry of "*Nei*!"the Elemental   
warrior throws his hands outward. The speeding miniature   
planets spiral off together, forming a huge beam of intense,   
shimmering, greenish-silver starlight that then crashes into   
the pile of star-born creatures. When the blinding   
explosion fades away, all that remains is Sailor Saturn's   
still body floating in space, the Silence Glaive slowly   
spinning off into the darkness.  
  
"Saturn!" the entrapped Scout shouts in shocked disbelief as   
the weapon of the ringed planet vanishes and the Silence   
Wall crumbles before the might of the Negaforce. The dark   
army begins its rush toward the Moon once again and Sailor   
Andromeda hears a low chuckle. "You should worry about   
yourself. You're going to join her very soon." Turning her   
attention back to the silver-haired warrior, she just looks   
at Kunzite, tears forming in her eyes now colored gray from   
sorrow. *Forgive me, my princesses, my queen. We did the   
best we could,* she thinks as she watches the traitorous   
Gemlord reach back with his right hand, preparing to throw   
his violet-pink blade.  
  
With another shout of "*Zai*!" Kunzite flings the slicer.   
The spinning boomerang-shaped energy blade blasts through   
the dark sphere, burying itself in Sailor Andromeda's chest   
deep enough that the far point extends from her back. A   
single tear streaks down her pretty cheek as the light dims   
in her grayish eyes.  
  
Giving an imperious gesture to his slicer, which rips itself   
from the body of its victim and returns to his hand, Kunzite   
looks down at the fallen Senshi for a moment, a cold   
expression on his handsome face, before he glances around to   
see what else was going on.  
  
Gazing past the floating, broken body, he can see the Seven   
Shadows pressing their attack against Sailor Pluto. Frowning   
as he realizes that somehow the Guardian of Time had escaped   
the Shadows' deadly circle, he watches as the   
deep-green-haired Scout blasts an impressive sphere of deep   
red energy at the group of ruby-eyed monsters by swinging   
her staff around in a graceful circle. The seven black   
figures scatter, but one gets caught by the sphere. Although   
not destroyed, the Shadow appears severely weakened to   
Kunzite. The frown on his face turns to a snarl. Readying   
his violet-pink slicer, he yells, "Nephrite!"  
  
In an instant, the auburn-haired warrior is at his side.   
"Sir?" he queries.  
  
But the Gemlord's call has another effect as well. Her   
attention caught by the other's deep voice, the Senshi of   
Time scans the battlefield, taking in the grim scene. The   
huge army of the Negaforce continues its rush to the Moon.   
The Seven Shadows regroup for another attack. A pair of the   
traitorous warriors are obviously joining the struggle of   
the Shadows against her. The unmoving forms of her two   
fallen comrades are floating in space. Sailor Uranus and   
another Gemlord traitor slash away at one another with   
glowing blades. Sailor Neptune is streaking to the rescue of   
her partner, the fourth Elemental in hot pursuit and   
attempting to impale the sea-green-haired Scout with her   
thrown spears of ice. Focusing once more on the enormous   
army dashing toward Queen Serenity's capitol, Sailor Pluto   
whispers to herself, "The first duty of a Senshi is the   
welfare of the Kingdom." Holding up her silver, key-shaped   
staff, she intones words she was never meant to say. "Dark   
Dome Close!"  
  
All at once, the weapon begins to glow with a deep-red   
light, a shockwave of garnet-colored energy erupting outward   
in all directions. As the energy passes over the   
participants of the conflict, everything stops, becoming   
frozen in Time.  
  
On the other side of the battlefield, Sailor Uranus hisses   
in pain as another slash from Jadeite's sword connects.   
Although able to drive the traitor back to nearly the same   
point in space where they'd begun their duel, the   
short-haired Scout has to admit that the Gemlord's ability   
to analyze her attacks and parries -- thereby finding a   
weakness to exploit -- is superior to her own. She's just   
about to strike back when she senses a wave of energy wash   
over her--and stares in astonishment as the light-blond   
Elemental freezes in place.  
  
"What in the name of Neptune is going on?" another voice   
asks, equally surprised. Turning slightly, Sailor Uranus   
sees the sea-green-haired Senshi rush up next to her.   
Glancing beyond the newcomer's willowy form, the athletic   
soldier notices that the fourth turncoat, who had been   
chasing Sailor Neptune, is frozen as well -- an ice spear   
she'd just launched hanging in space.  
  
Concentrating once again on the sword-bearing Elemental, the   
Senshi of the Sky growls, "I don't know, but I'm not going   
to miss this opportunity to rid ourselves of a traitor."   
Raising her arm high above her head, Sailor Uranus is about   
to launch an attack against the immobile Jadeite when she   
hears Sailor Pluto's voice.  
  
"The first duty of a warrior is the well-being of the   
Kingdom."  
  
"What do you think I'm doing?" the dark-golden-haired Senshi   
snarls. "The Kingdom's better off if none of this traitorous   
scum survives."  
  
"The army of destruction has a clear path to the Moon. Her   
Serene Majesty and the rest must be warned. I cannot keep   
the Gate of Time closed for long."  
  
A frown crosses Sailor Neptune's pretty face. "I didn't know   
you could stop Time, Pluto."  
  
When the mysterious Senshi speaks again, her quiet voice is   
melancholy. "It is a power forbidden to me, but the need is   
great. Go! Use this opportunity to reach Her Serene Majesty   
before the invaders do."  
  
"But what about you?" the sea-green-haired female asks.  
  
"Fear not for me. Go warn Her Serene Majesty! We will meet   
again, in Time."  
  
For a moment Sailor Uranus hesitates, the urge to blast her   
Space Sword at the helpless renegade nearly overwhelming.   
Reluctantly, she turns away and dematerializes her Sword as   
she faces Sailor Neptune. "Let's go."  
  
But the Senshi of the Ocean just continues to stare at the   
carnage around them. Her uniform tattered, her skin bloodied   
by numerous slashes and cuts and her sea-green hair a   
complete wreck, Sailor Neptune's pretty, still-unmarked face   
is filled with an expression of compassion. "We can't just   
leave them out here in the coldness of space."  
  
The athletic soldier isn't in any better shape. Also slashed   
and cut by the various successful hits from the Gemlord's   
telekinetic blade, she stands there with a frown on her   
good-looking face, wondering just what was in her partner's   
mind. "Who?"  
  
"Saturn and Andromeda. It just isn't right."  
  
The short-haired woman sighs, recognizing the   
sweetly-stubborn look in the other Senshi's eyes. "Fine, but   
we've got to make it quick." She then dashes over to where   
Sailor Saturn's mangled body lies and carefully cradles it   
in her arms. "And we'll need to leave them the moment we   
reach the Moon."  
  
"I know," Sailor Neptune responds as she picks up Sailor   
Andromeda's slender form. "At least they'll be on the ground   
with us instead of floating forever into the infinity of the   
Universe." Noticing that the boyish Senshi is ready, the   
compassionate warrior gives her partner a nod.  
  
Together they streak through the darkness, rushing to the   
surface of Earth's single satellite as fast as their powers   
would allow. Touching down on the lunar soil not too far   
from Queen Serenity's city, the pair of tattered warriors   
take a quick moment to gently set their fallen comrades on   
the planet of the ruler they had served. Without a word or   
any other sign of sorrow, the two Senshi then begin running   
for all they were worth. Grief would come later; for now,   
their duty must be carried out.  
  
Meanwhile, back in space where the great army remains   
frozen, the shimmering garnet light around Sailor Pluto's   
staff begins to fade. "Farewell, my friends, my queen. I   
have done what I can. May Fortune smile on all your   
endeavors until we are able to meet again," the mysterious   
beauty whispers to the stars as her graceful form fades out   
with the deep-red light. The moment her tall figure   
disappears, the frozen participants on the battlefield begin   
to move again.  
  
Jadeite parries a now non-existent blow, then has to   
abruptly dive to the right -- swearing all the way -- in   
order to avoid being impailed by a sharp spear of ice.   
Glaring at his fellow gray-clad warrior, he hisses, "Watch   
it, Zoe! Do I look like a Senshi to you?"  
  
"I don't get it," the boyishly-slender, female Gemlord   
whines. "I was aiming at that green-haired witch." Rubbing   
her cheek, which already has the look of a bruise on it,   
Zoisite snarls, "I'm gonna make her pay for that! Where'd   
they go anyway?"  
  
The amber-eyed warrior merely shrugs in reply, then begins   
looking around.  
  
On the other side of the battle site, Nephrite watches in   
confusion as Kunzite starts scanning the area, his   
pale-lavender eyes narrowed in thought. "Sir?" the   
jade-green-eyed man tries again, still wondering why he'd   
been called over.  
  
"A moment," the silver-haired warrior replies, letting his   
slicer fade away. Still searching, Kunzite frowns. "What's   
missing, Nephrite?"  
  
Startled, the auburn-haired Gemlord begins staring at the   
battlefield as well. For a moment, his gaze focuses on the   
rear of the advancing army -- the Seven Shadows streaking   
off to join their queen and the mighty Negaforce -- and a   
twinge of *something* stirs in his heart. But the emotion is   
quickly crushed, and Nephrite coldly analyzes the battle   
site. "No Senshi, not even the ones we've killed," he   
responds. "Strange."  
  
Kunzite shakes his head, his silver hair swirling. "No, not   
strange. Seems like dear Sailor Pluto's kept one talent of   
hers a secret from everyone else. Have you recovered from   
that blast you gave Saturn?"  
  
"Are you questioning my competence?" the dark-haired Gemlord   
snaps, his handsome face in a snarl.  
  
The tall Elemental fixes his underling with a frosty glare.   
"No, but I will if you continue to challenge my authority.   
You know you can't fool me, not with the bond we four share.   
That blast nearly drained you of everything you had, just as   
containing Andromeda's power nearly consumed mine. I merely   
asked to see if you can use your power right now."  
  
Nephrite stares angrily at his leader for a second, then   
gives him a barely-noticeable bow. "I can. The might of the   
Negaforce has already replaced what I've lost, just as it   
has done for you."  
  
"Then find those Outers!" Kunzite snaps.  
  
The other gray-clad warrior shoots his commander an irate   
glare, then bows his head and closes his eyes. Letting his   
ire seep away, Nephrite's still becoming centered when two   
more gray-uniformed figures suddenly appear behind Kunzite's   
tall form.  
  
"It's not *fair*!" the female warrior complains. "I had that   
witch and she somehow disappeared. Look at what she did to   
my face!"  
  
The light-blond-haired Gemlord gives the ponytailed woman a   
dirty look. "Stop your incessant whining, Zoisite! No one   
wants to hear it."  
  
"Enough!" the silver-haired leader barks, spinning around to   
face the newcomers. Noticing the expression of shock on   
Jadeite's face and the wounded look on Zoisite's, the tall   
warrior takes a deep breath. In a calmer voice, he adds, "We   
need to give Nephrite a chance to concentrate. He'll find   
where they went." Holding out a hand and giving her a slight   
smile, he gently commands, "Come here, Zoe. Let me see."  
  
As Jadeite watches in mild disgust, his amber eyes narrowed   
in disapproval, Kunzite inspects Zoisite's cheek, carefully   
rubbing a white-gloved thumb over the bruising skin. Mindful   
of the fourth Commander's attempt at concentration behind   
him, the white-cloaked Gemlord telepaths to the golden-blond   
woman. **Hush, love. I fear that the only thing truly   
outraged is your vanity. Wear your wound with pride; you've   
proven yourself a true warrior this day. Should we both   
survive, I'll think you even more beautiful with the bruise   
than not, for a warrior is more dear to me than a coward.**   
He then slides his hand under her chin, leans forward and   
gives her a gentle kiss on her wounded cheek. As Zoisite   
sighs in pleasure and snuggles up against the silver-haired   
Elemental's tall form, Jadeite turns his gaze to Nephrite,   
outrage at the pair's behavior glowing in his amber eyes.  
  
In the meantime, Nephrite continues to focus his power, a   
miniature model of the solar system appearing between his   
upheld hands. *The stars know everything; their movements   
are the heartbeat of the Universe. Help me, you who control   
the destinies of everything. I seek the guidance of your   
knowledge.* He opens his eyes, focusing on that part of the   
model displaying the furthest orbits of the system. "Show me   
the glyphs of those outer planets whose Senshi are still   
active," he orders.  
  
Kunzite, an arm around Zoisite's slender waist, then turns   
them both around so that they can see what the auburn-haired   
Gemlord is doing. While the three gray-clad warriors watch,   
glowing symbols suddenly appear above two of the four   
planets shown within the miniature Orrery that spins in   
front of Nephrite.  
  
With a nod, the dark-haired warrior acknowledges that Saturn   
and Pluto are dark, then sweeps his hand through the vision,   
capturing the dark-blue glyph of Uranus and the aquamarine   
glyph of Neptune. Opening his white-gloved fist, he   
concentrates his energy on the symbols lying in the palm of   
his hand. "By the power of the stars, show me the location   
of your warriors," he commands the glittering glyphs. As his   
eyes glow with the greenish-silver light of his energy, a   
scene forms within his mind. In a flash, he knows where the   
missing Scouts are and what they're doing. "They're on the   
Moon!" he shouts. "They're trying to warn the palace."  
  
"Do you have a clear fix on them?" Kunzite sharply inquires.  
  
With an affirmative nod, Nephrite telepaths what he sees to   
the others.  
  
In an instant, the quartet disappears, Zoisite in a whirl of   
petals.  
  
On the lunar surface, the pair of sailor-suited warriors are   
sprinting up the side of a crater, near the outskirts of the   
inhabited area of the Moon. "Not much farther," Sailor   
Uranus encourages the other. "Up over this rise, across the   
flats, and we'll be there."  
  
Behind the athletic Senshi, Sailor Neptune is beginning the   
ascent when she glances up beyond her partner -- who is   
already halfway up the rise -- and stops with a gasp as   
three energy auras and a whirl of cherry petals suddenly   
appear at the top of the ridge. "Watch out!"  
  
Hearing the warning and looking up, Sailor Uranus skids to a   
halt when she sees the four gray-uniformed traitors lined up   
at the peak of the crater. Absolutely furious, she raises a   
hand in the air. "Space Sword--" she calls, materializing   
her dreaded blade. She's just about to sling the energy at   
the center of the line of Gemlords when a hand on her   
shoulder interrupts her.  
  
"Don't waste your power in anger," the sea-green-haired   
woman cautions. "I'll draw their fire and keep them busy.   
You're the faster of the two of us; you go on and warn the   
queen."  
  
"No! the short-haired Senshi snarls. "We stay together."  
  
"But our duty!" Sailor Neptune protests. "One of us has to   
get through with the warning. You've a better chance than I   
to make it."  
  
Staring up at the traitors as they slowly stalk down the   
hillside, the athletic soldier gives her partner a bitter   
laugh. "I may be as swift as the wind, but I'm not as fast   
as one who can teleport. They won't all fight just you;   
they'll send at least half their number after me as well. No   
matter how fast I go, they'll be able to teleport in front   
of me and keep me from my goal." Taking a step backwards so   
that her tall form was up against the other's willowy body,   
she adds, "We've lost, dear one. But we gave it our best.   
We've lived together, laughed together, and loved together.   
Since I can't outrun the enemy, grant me this last wish. I   
want to share this fate with you -- to fight this last   
battle together and either live or die with you by my side."  
  
Sailor Neptune turns so that the pair of sailor-suited   
warriors were back-to-back. Materializing her hand-mirror,   
she smiles. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she responds   
as she watches the quartet teleport once more, this time   
reappearing in a ring that surrounds the two Senshi.  
  
Taking up positions that correspond to the compass   
directions under their respective commands, the four   
gray-clad Gemlords confront the Scouts. Kunzite remains near   
the top of the ridge, with Zoisite to his left and Jadeite   
to his right. Nephrite stands opposite the silver-haired   
leader at the foot of the crater's rim.  
  
Seeing the Senshi taking up defensive stances, Zoisite   
laughs. "I'm gonna enjoy flaying you alive, Neptune," she   
gloats, an ice-sword appearing in her right hand. "You're   
gonna pay for smacking my face!"  
  
"And I've still got a score to settle with you, Uranus,"   
Jadeite snarls.  
  
The short-haired Scout gives the light-blond-haired traitor   
a self-satisfied smile, running her eyes over his roughed-up   
form. Looking as worked-over as the athletic Senshi, his   
once snappy-looking uniform is now slashed in numerous   
places -- many of them stained with blood where Uranus's   
Sword had cut his skin. "Grow up and get a life, Jadeite,"   
she taunts.  
  
"At least I'll still have one," the short-haired Gemlord   
growls back. "That's more than I can say for you, Sailor   
trash, when I get done with you." He creates a new   
telekinetic sword and shield and is about to rush the boyish   
Senshi when Kunzite's voice rips through the site.  
  
"Hold!" Realizing that he had everyone's attention, friend   
and foe alike, he points at Zoisite. "Our orders were to   
eliminate the threat of the Outer Senshi, not torture them.   
A warrior does his best to carry out his orders in the most   
efficient manner possible. Don't let your pettiness   
interfere with your job." He then glares at Jadeite, adding,   
"Teamwork! How many times must I remind you that we work   
together as a unit?"  
  
"Can the speech, slime!" Sailor Uranus barks. Slinging her   
Sword, which still contains its charge of energy, she   
shouts, "Blaster!" and flings the golden light at the tall,   
white-cloaked warrior.  
  
Kunzite teleports, causing the spinning energy to miss.  
  
At the same instant, Zoisite shouts, "*Zoi*!"and unleashes a   
blast of petal-laden wind that's strong enough to force the   
two Senshi to duck and protect their faces.  
  
"Fire Energy Electrify!" the tall Gemlord snarls as soon as   
he reappears a few feet from where he'd been standing. A   
violet-pink force field is already surrounding the female   
soldiers by the time they recover from the ponytailed   
blond's Petal Wind.  
  
Jadeite steps forward and raises his sword. "Air   
Electrify!" he calls. A ray of orangish-yellow light hits   
the globe, visibly fortifying it.  
  
"Water Electrify!" Zoisite responds, shooting the sphere   
with a beam of violet-blue light from her ice-blade.  
  
Nephrite raises a hand. "Earth Electrify!" he commands. His   
ray of greenish-silver light finishes the Elemental Shield   
around the Senshi.  
  
Still standing back-to-back, the pair of Senshi let their   
talismans dematerialize, knowing in their hearts that they   
were now truly doomed. No one had ever had the strength to   
break the Commanders' Elemental Shield. With defiantly brave   
expressions on their pretty faces, each Senshi reaches a   
hand back toward the other. Locking their fingers together   
in one last gesture of unity and love, they courageously   
face their fate.  
  
Jadeite's weaponry vanishes as he holds his hands out to   
either side. "By the intellect of Air," he chants, an   
orangish-yellow aura surrounding him.  
  
"By the passion of Fire," Kunzite intones, his tall form   
beginning to glow with a violet-pink light.  
  
Sailor Neptune swallows in fear, having an idea what the   
quartet of turncoats were doing. "Thank you," she whispers   
to the other Scout.  
  
"For what?" Sailor Uranus quietly asks, also somewhat   
nervous about what would happen next.  
  
"By the emotion of Water," Zoisite's strident voice calls as   
her sword disappears and her slender body becomes wrapped in   
a violet-blue aura.  
  
"For sharing your life with me. If there's a way, I'll find   
you again," the sea-green-haired Senshi replies.  
  
"Not if I find you first," the dark-gold-haired warrior   
responds, a grim smile on her face. "And thanks for sharing   
your life with me."  
  
"By the foundation of Earth," Nephrite says while he starts   
to glow with greenish-silver light.  
  
As one, the quartet raises their hands to the sky, each   
one's aura becoming brighter and sparkling silver in color.   
With every movement synchronized through their telepathic   
bond, they swiftly point their white-gloved hands at the   
Senshi, their four voices simultaneously chanting,   
"Elemental Annihilation!"  
  
When the blindingly brilliant silver light finally fades,   
the gray-clad Gemlords teleport away, leaving behind the   
blasted bodies of the sailor-suited warriors lying in the   
gray dust of the Moon, their hands still intertwined in that   
last gesture of togetherness.  
  
**************************************  
  
"Well, I'm back, and this time I won't be so easily   
defeated," Sailor Andromeda snarled. Grabbing her   
star-shaped locket, she quickly shouted the trigger, "Space   
Locket Shatter!" and swung her arm in a sideways arc.  
  
As the violet-eyed Scout had expected, the silver-haired   
warrior disappeared. Still holding onto her locket, having   
pretended to throw it, Sailor Andromeda used her momentum to   
spin around on one foot. She then hurled the powered-up   
piece of jewelry in the opposite direction from where she'd   
originally aimed.  
  
Kunzite teleported back in behind the sailor-suited girl   
just in time to catch the full force of the locket's blow   
square in the chest. The resulting explosion of   
glittering-yellow energy blasted the lavender-cloaked   
Gemlord off his feet, slamming him into the wall behind him.  
  
Raising an arm to grab her returning locket, the blue-caped   
Scout couldn't help smiling in smug satisfaction as she   
watched her opponent collapse into a crumpled heap at the   
foot of the school building. Knowing that she'd have no   
better opportunity, the brunette Senshi hastily stabbed the   
star-locket back onto the center of her dark-blue bow, then   
threw her hands forward. "Star Power Destroy!"  
  
Just as the intense beam of sparkling-yellow light streaked   
toward him, Kunzite launched himself up into the air,   
reacting almost on pure instinct. The golden energy skimmed   
the air right under his dark-brown boot--hitting the   
building near the ground -- and blew a fair-sized hole in   
the wall.  
  
While the tall Gemlord hovered in the air and started to   
shake off the stunning effects of the Senshi's successful   
hit, the sailor-suited warrior was momentarily distracted by   
the consequences of her second strike. *Oh man! Miss Haruna   
isn't going to like that,* she thought, her violet eyes   
staring at the smoking hole. Glancing skyward, she spotted   
Kunzite levitating at least a couple of stories up, his   
metallic-silver-lined cloak fanned out around him like wings   
and his hands arranged in an attitude of attack.  
  
With a cry of "*Zai*!" the Elemental warrior slung an arm in   
a sideways arc, unleashing a concentrated burst of   
violet-pink energy, only to growl in frustration as the   
golden-brown-haired Scout leaped out of the way and soared   
into the air.  
  
A quick glance down below showed Sailor Andromeda the crater   
blasted into the schoolyard. *The groundskeeper's not going   
to be happy either,* she thought, sighing as she flew   
higher.  
  
His pale-lavender eyes narrowed in both concentration and   
determination, Kunzite glided higher as well, matching the   
blue-and-purple-clad warrior's speed. "You're certainly full   
of surprises today," he snarled.  
  
"I told you it wouldn't be that easy," Sailor Andromeda shot   
back. Deciding that they were high enough to keep their   
fight from endangering innocent bystanders or destroying   
property down on the ground, the blue-caped Senshi halted   
her ascent and hovered, warily watching as the silver-haired   
Elemental floated up to her level.  
  
The pair of warriors faced off again, their visages grim and   
their hair blowing in the wind. As Kunzite raised his hands   
in a gesture Sailor Andromeda recognized as one of his ways   
of silently preparing an attack, the purple-skirted Scout   
decided to try to stop him by striking first. "Space Locket   
Shatter!" she shouted, ripping the golden star from her   
dark-blue bow and hurling it once more at the Elemental.  
  
Carefully watching the miniature comet of glittering-yellow   
light as it streaked toward him, the tall Gemlord calmly   
floated in the sky, his cloak unfurled around him. In an   
almost bored tone, he said, "Energy Absorption," raising a   
hand to intercept the glowing, spinning locket. Just as it   
approached his waiting grasp, a shield of pinkish-violet   
light flashed around him, sucking up the bright golden glow   
of the piece of jewelry. He then caught the de-energized   
weapon.  
  
Violet eyes wide and becoming tinged with gray in fright,   
Sailor Andromeda stared in momentary shock as the   
silver-haired warrior gave her a cold smirk. "You can't *do*   
that!" the blue-caped Senshi protested. "It's mine! Give it   
back, you bleach-blond Negacreep!"  
  
His pale-lavender eyes narrowed and his fist clenched around   
the locket in anger, the Gemlord roared, "I don't serve the   
Negaforce anymore!" While a bright, violet-pink aura began   
to glow around his hand, he yelled, "You want it back?   
Fine! Here, take it!" and flung the newly-charged locket at   
its owner.  
  
With an involuntary shriek, Sailor Andromeda dove to the   
side, feeling the heat of the locket's concentrated energy   
as it zinged past her shoulder. Her grayish-violet eyes   
watching the rose-colored fireball as it soared through the   
air and began its graceful arc back to the one who threw it,   
she spun around to face her hijacked weapon. Flying toward   
it on an intercept course and concentrating her control, the   
sailor-suited warrior commanded, "Locket De-energize!" At   
first, she didn't think her attempt had succeeded -- the   
fireball had continued to race back toward the silver-haired   
Elemental right after she'd shouted her order -- but then   
the violet-pink energy around the star-shaped piece of   
jewelry faded away, leaving the locket quietly hovering.   
Heaving a sigh of relief, the purple-skirted Senshi grabbed   
her weapon and turned to face her opponent -- just in time   
to have to dodge another bolt of rose-colored energy fired   
from the Gemlord.  
  
Her violet eyes now tinged blue with anger, Sailor Andromeda   
scowled at her foe. As she flew closer in order to better   
her aim, she shouted, "You're really starting to get on my   
nerves, Kunzite!"  
  
"Not half as much as you're starting to annoy me, Sailor   
brat!" the lavender-cloaked warrior shot back.  
  
I've had it! the brunette Senshi thought as she prepared her   
next attack. Throwing her hands forward, she started her   
trigger. "Star Power--"  
  
"Crystal Freeze!" interrupted a new voice, one which came   
from behind the blue-caped Scout and wasn't quite as deep as   
the silver-haired warrior's.  
  
Astounded, Sailor Andromeda spun around. There before her   
floated a tall man dressed all in black -- his long,   
dark-brown hair and gold-lined black cloak fanned out around   
him -- and a rapidly-growing ball of blackish-green energy   
was speeding her way. She had time enough to think, *Not   
again!* before the sphere struck her slender form.  
  
Kunzite watched dispassionately as the blackish-green globe   
engulfing the purple-skirted Senshi solidified into a   
crystal of deep-green glass. A shimmering aura of   
blackish-green light then surrounded the vitreous prison,   
keeping it from falling to the ground below. Glancing over   
at the newcomer, the Gemlord growled, "It's about time, my   
lord."  
  
Obsidian gave his warrior a cold smile. "You looked like you   
were having too much fun to quit. Besides, I thought you   
could handle a single Senshi, not the other way around."  
  
Although angered by the dark lord's words, Kunzite lowered   
his head and kept a respectful tone in his voice. "You   
should've informed me better, my lord. I should've known   
that I was to face--"  
  
"A Senshi instead of a lowly human?" Obsidian cut in, his   
baritone voice harsh. "I would've thought that after our   
first conversation you'd have had the brains to figure that   
out on your own. I expected you to perhaps be upset that it   
was Sailor Andromeda instead of one of the Inner-planet   
Senshi, but to not have known at all?" The Guardian of Space   
shook his dark-brown head. "At least your compassion and   
your sense of fair play have returned if not your brains.   
Perhaps there's hope for you yet."  
  
Despite his ire at the other Gemlord's insulting tone,   
Kunzite kept his composure. The only outward sign of his   
displeasure was a gradual tightening of his jaw.  
  
Obsidian stared at the lavender-cloaked man a moment longer,   
picking up the other's indignation through his psychic   
senses. *Good, Kunzite's passed the test. Maybe I will be   
able to trust him again.* Concentrating instead on expanding   
the influence of his power to include both the glass crystal   
encasing Sailor Andromeda and his fellow Gemlord, the dark   
Guardian closed his deep-brown eyes and commanded, "Obsidian   
Mirror Return!" As one, the three shimmering forms   
disappeared in a flash of deep-green light, leaving behind   
an empty sky.  
  
  



	5. Extinguished Flames

EXTINGUISHED FLAMES   
  
  
The tall teen-ager walked swiftly along the sidewalk, his   
long stride eating up the concrete. Still dressed in his   
dark-blue school uniform, an expensive-looking dark-green   
duffel bag slung over his right shoulder and a frustrated   
look on his handsome face, the auburn-haired boy stormed   
onward, oblivious to the world around him.  
  
*I don't see how they manage,* he thought, his frown   
deepening. *What a pathetic existence this is turning out to   
be. I feel half-deaf, half-blind and half-alive.* Just then,   
a sharp twinge shot through his shoulder from the weight of   
the bag. Annoyed, he stopped walking and switched his load   
to the other side. *And the constant complaints from this   
stupid, weak form are starting to drive me insane.*  
  
Behind him, a couple of blocks back or so, a tall girl   
dressed in a sailor-like school uniform of white and tan   
halted as well, grateful for the momentary pause. Healthy   
and fit, used to fast-paced walks, even she was having a bit   
of trouble keeping up with the other teen. However,   
determination glittered in her forest-green eyes. She'd told   
the others she'd keep an eye on him, and she was a person of   
her word. Her temporary stop having quieted her long legs'   
complaints, she ran forward before he could get started   
again.  
  
His bag once more slung comfortably, this time on his left,   
the tall teen was about to begin his fast-paced walk once   
more when a feminine voice shouted from behind. "Hey,   
Nathan! Wait up!"  
  
Startled, the auburn-haired boy turned around to see the   
athletic girl -- who'd shared her lunch with him the day   
before -- sprinting toward him. "Uh... Hello, Lita."  
  
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"  
  
The boy called Nathan fixed the pretty brunette with a   
thoughtful stare. Although his first instinct was to tell   
her to buzz off and mind her own business, that impulse was   
quickly replaced by something... else. There was something   
about her, something he'd caught a flash of the day before   
as well. Irritated by his inability to sense things better,   
drowning as he was in the silence within him, he sighed.   
"The tennis club. I'm out of practice and I need to work on   
my serve."  
  
Lita frowned, the tone of his voice reminding her once again   
what a jerk Nathan could be. Still, he was so dreamy, she   
was willing to make a few allowances for personality flaws.   
"Mind if I tag along?" Before he could reply, she grinned.   
"Thanks! Come on."  
  
As the long-legged girl started walking on ahead, the   
auburn-haired teen sighed once more. "No, I don't mind at   
all..." he muttered, following her.  
  
While the pair continued to stride down the sidewalk, the   
boy kept staring at the ponytailed brunette with his   
jade-green eyes. *What is it about her?* he asked himself.   
*I felt it yesterday as well, but I know I haven't seen her   
before.* A wicked smile then crossed his face. *Serena,   
however, is another story. So *that's* the infamous Sailor   
Moon.*  
  
He silently laughed. *She's a bit more pathetic than I   
imagined. Combine that with the psychic distortion field   
that disguises the Senshi and it's no wonder I didn't figure   
it out sooner. Granted, I'd caught enough of her "normal"   
aura before that transformation to find her again -- I   
wasn't bluffing when I told her that -- but I never really   
thought just how... human... the Senshi were these days.  
  
Glancing back up at the tall girl walking just in front of   
himself, frowning just a bit, his mind turned to the events   
of the day before. *There was also something about those   
other girls... Amy and Callie, I believe. A different   
something, but there nonetheless. And the way Amy looked at   
me...*  
  
A sudden, intuitive flash -- an image of a blue-haired,   
sailor-suited warrior standing tall and brave on the roof of   
a sleek red car, a miniskirted girl with the audacity to   
challenge *him* of all people -- crossed the auburn-haired   
boy's mind. The look on the warrior's face had been the same   
look Amy had given him yesterday. *By the Cosmos! Nephrite,   
you can be such an idiot at times,* he admonished himself.   
*Serena may not have been able to figure out who you really   
are by what you did, but you can be sure Amy did. Sailor   
Mercury may be pathetic, but she's certainly no fool.*  
  
Nephrite's frown grew darker as he continued to stare at   
Lita's back. She and Callie... Other Senshi? Possible... But   
which ones... ? He abruptly broke off his thoughts as the   
ponytailed brunette suddenly stopped and turned back to look   
at him, forcing him to halt as well.  
  
"You into any other sports besides tennis?" Lita asked, a   
curious expression on her pretty face.  
  
Startled, Nephrite blurted, "A few."  
  
"Into ice skating at all?"  
  
*Ice skating.* The two words made a memory flash to the   
front of the former Negaverse warrior's mind.  
  
**********************************  
  
In the past, on the Moon: The scene is one of the gray   
moonscape at night, the brilliant stars as well as the   
Earthshine above glittering down on the crater below. In the   
background, the Palace of the Moon Kingdom lifts its domed   
towers to the star-spangled sky.  
  
One rather large crater, with a flat surface and well-formed   
rim, is filled with a smooth sheet of ice, reflecting back   
the blue glow of the Earth and the sparkling stars. The   
Gemlord Nephrite -- dressed in the white coat and pants of   
Prince Darien's Court -- sits on the edge of the crater,   
then looks down from the stars with a sigh. Below him,   
already on the ice, stands the tall, graceful, athletic   
figure of Princess Jupiter clad in a shimmering miniskirted   
skating outfit of deepest green. "Come on, slowpoke," she   
laughingly chides.  
  
Nephrite smiles a bit as he laces up his remaining skate.   
"Sorry. I was sort of lost in thought."  
  
Princess Jupiter giggles at his reply. "I noticed." Still   
smiling, she turns and looks at the people on the rink.  
  
Among the couples gliding across the ice can be seen   
Princess Serena and Prince Darien in one of the few times   
the young Royal from Earth was actually invited to a social   
event. They make a stunning couple as they go sailing by,   
graceful streaks of black and white. Also to be seen are   
Princess Mars and the Gemlord Jadeite, both of whom appear   
to be having fun despite their apparently mediocre talent on   
the ice.  
  
But on the end of the rink close to where Nephrite sits and   
Princess Jupiter stands, the crowd of skaters have stopped   
to watch in wonder as a lone figure dressed in white soars   
in the center of a patch of clear ice made especially for   
the skater. Among those watching is Princess Mercury, a   
pretty figure in her blue ensemble. Her sapphire eyes stare   
in wonder at the performance she beholds.  
  
The lone skater continues to execute a stunning series of   
moves, leaps and spins flawlessly. Blond ponytail flying,   
his slender body a white blur and a poem of strength and   
grace, the Gemlord Zoisite nails a high, spinning leap that   
Princess Jupiter admires. "Wow!" she breaths. "He's really   
good."  
  
His boot now laced, Nephrite looks up in time to see his   
younger compatriot execute another impressive series of   
maneuvers. "Yes, he is." A frown crosses the auburn-haired   
Gemlord's handsome face. "However, he's not as good as   
either Her Royal Highness Serenity, His Royal Highness   
Darien or you, dear Princess."  
  
The tall, ponytailed brunette smiles sweetly at the sharp   
tone of her companion. "A bit jealous, Nephrite dear?"  
  
Off in the near distance, Zoisite flawlessly performs one   
last graceful leap, then glides to a stop right in front of   
a shyly smiling Princess Mercury. As the audience of other   
skaters applauds the blond Gemlord's routine, the beautiful,   
androgynous-appearing warrior bows gallantly to the   
blue-clad Princess. He then offers her his hand, and skates   
off with her in his arms when she accepts.  
  
"Hardly," Nephrite growls in reply. "What a show off..."  
  
Laughing slightly, Princess Jupiter reaches up and takes one   
of the auburn-haired man's hands in hers. With a tug, she   
pulls him from his perch on the crater's wall and onto the   
ice. When he lands on his blades with a somewhat startled   
shout, she giggles and then gives Nephrite a light kiss on   
the cheek. "Don't worry, Nephrite. You're quite the good   
skater as well. Not everyone can keep up with me." Smiling   
brilliantly, Princess Jupiter then pulls the green-eyed   
warrior out to the center of the rink.  
  
As for Nephrite, he appears to be in a mild state of shock   
from Princess Jupiter's friendly kiss.  
  
**********************************  
  
"Nathan! Earth to Nathan!" Frowning, Lita waved a hand in   
front of the other teen's unfocused, jade-green eyes. What's   
with this guy?  
  
Blinking, Nephrite shook his head, still a bit dazed.   
*Princess Jupiter?* he thought, confused. Looking up at the   
sound of the insistent voice, he was suddenly jolted back   
into the here-and-now, finding a somewhat irritated Lita   
staring at him. "Huh?" was all he could come up with to say.  
  
Crossing her arms, the breeze ruffling her waist-length   
ponytail, the athletic girl repeated her question. "Do you   
ice skate?"  
  
He shook his head slowly in reply. "I did, but that was long   
ago."  
  
"Well then, why not join me sometime and brush up on that as   
well? Like tomorrow afternoon?"  
  
Getting slightly irritated himself, Nephrite replied, his   
voice curt, "I'm busy, Lita."  
  
Undeterred, a spark of determination lit the tall girl's   
forest-green eyes. "How about the next day?"  
  
*How about buzzing off?* he wanted to scream, but for some   
reason, the words just wouldn't come out. Instead, he heard   
himself saying, "I'm busy then, too."  
  
For a moment, disappointment was etched on Lita's pretty   
face, but it rapidly disappeared. "Sunday?" she asked,   
hopeful. *I just know it'd be dreamy skating with him, no   
matter who he is.*  
  
Nephrite frowned in annoyance. "I really--" he started to   
say, only to be interrupted by the athletic girl.  
  
"Good! Then it's settled. I'll go to your place and get you   
Sunday. You live in that mansion on the wooded hill just   
outside downtown, right?" When Nephrite can only nod in mild   
shock at the way Lita just sort of took over, the   
tan-and-white-uniformed girl turned back around and strode   
up the street once more, a satisfied grin on her face.  
  
*What have I just gotten myself into?* the now-human Gemlord   
wondered with a sigh as he also continued his walk to the   
tennis club.  
  
They reached their destination minutes later, each teen-ager   
continuing to stroll onwards in silence, but for differing   
reasons. For the ponytailed brunette, it was a smug sense of   
accomplishment. *There. Now I can skate with a hunk, keep an   
eye on Nathan and truthfully tell Artemis that I've kept my   
promise.*  
  
For the auburn-haired boy, it was confusion and irritation.   
His mind returning to that flash of memory, he mentally   
growled, *Where the hell did that come from? I remember   
playing games with Princess Jupiter, keeping her occupied so   
that Prince Darien could meet with Princess Serena, but   
this?* He shook his head, refusing to dwell on it anymore   
now that he was approaching the fenced-off grounds of the   
tennis club.  
  
When the two of them came up to the wide-open iron-barred   
gate, Lita turned and faced her companion once more. "Well,   
seeing how you have to be a member to get in, I guess I'll   
see you out back on the court."  
  
"You're going to hang around and watch?" the tall, athletic   
teen asked, mild surprise in his jade-green eyes.  
  
The ponytailed girl shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She smiled   
just a bit. "I was just curious as to how out of practice   
you are."  
  
Nephrite frowned slightly in return, but didn't say a word   
as he readjusted the weight of his duffel bag and strode   
into the club. *Better watch my step. If she is another   
Senshi, and Sailor Mercury... Amy... figured out who I am,   
then I'd better assume she's watching me.*  
  
Lita stared after him, a dreamy look in her forest-green   
eyes. *He's so cute...* With a slight shake of her head, the   
long-legged teen walked on the sidewalk around the club's   
grounds. Scanning the small crowd of people gathered along   
the chain-link fence that separated the three courts from   
the rest of the world, the tall brunette suddenly lost her   
good mood as her gaze froze on a certain red-headed girl.   
*No. Not Molly...*  
  
The girl in question was standing at the fence along the   
edge of the middle court, her fingers curled around a few   
metal links as she stared into the area beyond. Sunlight   
glimmered in her bright-red hair, a startling contrast to   
the slate-blue bow that pulled back the locks around her   
sweet-looking face.  
  
Lita frowned, a bit annoyed. She didn't know why, but   
something about Serena's friend had always put her slightly   
on edge. However, she did her best to tolerate the shorter   
girl for Serena's sake. After all, those two had been   
friends long before Lita had met the ponytailed blond.  
  
With a sigh, the athletic brunette found a position along   
the nearer court, a safe distance from the other teen.   
Looking past the chain-link fence into the courts beyond,   
Lita noticed that the courts were full. The pairs on the   
near and far ones appeared to be somewhat talented, but it   
was the one girl on the center court that caught her   
attention.  
  
Tall and pretty, her dark-brown hair pulled back in a   
ponytail high on her head in a style similar to Lita's own,   
the teen-aged girl made a graceful figure standing there in   
her light-blue shirt and short, white skirt. Around her brow   
was a dark-blue sweatband and concentration gleamed in her   
dark-blue eyes. With a practiced flip of her wrist, the   
dark-haired player tossed her bright-yellow ball in the air   
and whapped it hard at her opponent.  
  
Nodding in admiration, the green-eyed girl watched the   
following volley as the boy and the dark-haired player vied   
against one another for the point. Finally, the girl hit a   
vicious spike that forced the boy to leap forward to try to   
hit the ball back. He missed, and the ball bounced off the   
court to land in the bushes beyond.  
  
"All right, Katie!" Molly shouted, jumping up and down in   
joy as her close friend won that point.  
  
Lita couldn't help but shudder at the red-head's voice. Just   
then, her gaze focused on a new figure stepping out onto the   
courts... and her annoyance faded away.  
  
It was Nathan, his tall, athletic form accentuated by the   
white shirt and dark-blue shorts he now wore, the duffel bag   
held in both hands in front of him. She noticed that he   
scanned the area of both the courts and the crowd beyond as   
he walked along the edge of the near court like he owned the   
place. Unable to take her eyes off him, she just stared as   
he set his bag down next to the bench near the fence, pulled   
out a racquet from it and then sat down, his back to her.  
  
With a quick glance at Molly, Lita was relieved to see that   
the red-headed girl had continued to watch her dark-haired   
friend as she and her opponent rallied for another point.   
Remembering how interested Nathan was in the freckle-faced   
teen the day before, Lita stifled an annoyed sigh. *Not   
sure I could stand listening to her gush on about just how   
cute he is,* she told herself.  
  
Meanwhile, Nephrite scanned the area once more as he sat on   
the wooden bench, absently bouncing his racquet against the   
palm of his left hand. For a moment, his jade-green eyes   
lingered over Molly's familiar form. With a slight smile on   
his handsome face, he thought, *Strange how I hardly noticed   
her when I was last here. Just another face in the crowd   
watching people play. Who'd've known...*  
  
Sighing, he turned his attention back to the real reason why   
he'd come to the club. *Katie Sandler,* he silently mused.   
*The first victim chosen by the stars in my ill-fated   
attempt to gather energy for the Negaforce.*  
  
Just then, the girl being scrutinized called out, "Match   
point!" Another toss of the fuzzy, yellow ball, another   
agile leap and forceful slam, and the next rally was on.  
  
*So young, so alive, so... full of energy,* he thought as he   
stared at the dark-brown-haired girl. In those few hours   
he'd had left of his former self, Nephrite had used his   
powers to locate and observe the current situations of his   
former victims, driven by a still-unidentified compulsion to   
do so. Katie, he'd learned, had just recently turned   
professional after having won a couple of somewhat important   
amateur tournaments. While he continued to watch her agile   
bounces and vibrant dashes across the court during the   
energetic battle for the match, his own words -- spoken   
before Queen Beryl herself -- came back to haunt him. *The   
human race is ruled by the movement of the stars throughout   
the heavens, and each person lives according to a unique and   
special rhythm that is theirs alone. Everyone has a moment   
in their lives when their energy level rises to its very   
highest point.*  
  
As he well knew, Katie had already reached that peak -- that   
one moment in her life that she'd have the creative energy   
to do anything she thought possible. And though there would   
be other times in her rhythm where she'd come somewhat close   
to that one moment, never again would she hit quite that   
intensity of energy in her life.  
  
His mind froze on the words *never again*, and a painful   
*something* ripped through him as the enormity of what he'd   
done sank in. Dazed by the unfamiliar feeling, Nephrite   
kept staring at Katie as she continued to fight for the   
point. Her rhythm, determined by the stars. Her energy.   
And he'd stolen it from her. *You had no right to it,* a   
quiet voice whispered in his mind.  
  
*I was merely following my orders,* he responded,   
aggravated.  
  
*It was her moment -- her energy -- to do with as she   
willed.*  
  
*I needed that energy to carry out the mission entrusted to   
me by my queen.*  
  
*Because of you, she's missed her one chance to truly shine,   
to tap into her full potential.*  
  
He started to protest the hushed voice yet again when   
suddenly everything clicked with a clarity he'd never known   
before. Shame, remorse, regret -- they washed over him with   
painful intensity, searing themselves into his soul. Falling   
from abruptly numbed fingers, his racquet clattered to the   
ground as he closed his eyes, put his hands to his   
dark-auburn head and doubled over.  
  
The unexpected sound caught Lita's attention. A bit alarmed   
at seeing the teen-aged boy in such obvious distress, the   
ponytailed brunette called out, "Nathan? You okay?"  
  
The teen addressed didn't reply. Instead, Lita got a totally   
different response. In a matter of moments, Molly was there   
next to her, grabbing onto the chain-link fence and gazing   
at the hunched-over boy sitting on the bench beyond.   
"What's wrong, Nathan?" the red-head asked, a worried tone   
in her voice. "Are you gonna be all right?"  
  
*Am I going to be all right?* he asked himself, sitting up,   
Molly's words sinking in as the emotional turmoil within him   
subsided. He turned and looked out at the two girls standing   
there, concern on their pretty faces, and heard himself say,   
"Yeah, I think so. Just a sudden headache. It'll go away   
soon."  
  
Although the tall, brown-haired girl appeared skeptical, the   
freckle-faced red-head smiled sweetly in acceptance of his   
words. "Gee, I hope so," Molly replied. "That didn't look   
too good."  
  
Nephrite sighed as he turned back to gaze out across the   
tennis courts. "I'll live." Focusing his jade-green eyes on   
Katie again, he thought, his feelings absolutely sincere, *I   
wish there was something I could do to somehow make it up to   
my victims for what I've done. If only I could atone for my   
sins...*  
  
In response to his heart-felt wish, he felt *something*   
spark to life within him, a momentary flash of the unearthly   
music of the Universe itself accompanying the ember's   
awakening. Within heart, mind and soul glowed a symbol   
colored at long last its proper silvery-green, no longer the   
blood-red indicative of a Negaforce contamination. And it   
was once more his to use again despite his now-human state.  
  
He sat there a moment longer, staring at Katie in surprise   
as the young professional player finally slammed home the   
final point, winning the match. *A poor substitute to what   
I'd stolen, but it's a way to make amends.* He stood then as   
Katie and her opponent approached their respective sides of   
the net, picked up his racquet from where it had fallen, and   
stepped out onto the court after the pair of players shook   
hands. "Ms. Sandler, Katie, may I please have the honor of a   
match with you?"  
  
The short-skirted girl with dark-brown hair blinked at the   
auburn-headed teen in mild surprise. "Excuse me? Do I know   
you?"  
  
"Let me introduce myself," the athletic boy quietly said,   
giving the tennis player a slight, polite bow. "I'm Nathan   
Sanford, nephew to Maxfield Stanton."  
  
"I remember your uncle," Katie responded. "He gave me a few   
tips on my serve and did quite well at a tournament we both   
attended."  
  
Nephrite smiled, knowing that that would be all that she   
would recall. "Before he left to go take care of some other   
business, he told me about you and how impressed he was with   
your game. So I decided to come here and satisfy my own   
curiosity."  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the chain-link fence at the   
end of the center court, Lita and Molly stood nearly   
side-by-side, each one watching the pair of teen-aged   
athletes standing there. The ponytailed brunette remained   
silent, tightening her grip on the fence and narrowing her   
forest-green eyes slightly in mild annoyance at Nathan's   
apparent friendliness toward the dark-haired girl. *Wish I   
knew what they were saying,* she thought. Though she could   
hear their quiet voices, Lita found herself unable to make   
out a single word.  
  
Next to her, the short redhead also grabbed the fence, her   
whole attitude one of almost bubbly excitement. "Gee! I   
just don't know who to root for," Molly exclaimed.  
  
Lita winced.  
  
On the court, Katie sweetly smiled. "You mean to tell me   
that you came here just to see me?"  
  
Nephrite returned the smile, absently twirling his racquet.   
"And to play a match against you. I wanted to see if you   
played as well as my uncle had said."  
  
The dark-brunette girl widened her smile into a grin. "Well   
then, come on! Let's see if you're as good as I remember Mr.   
Stanton being." With that, Katie retreated from the net,   
taking up a serving position.  
  
Nephrite walked over to his end and got into a ready stance.   
Jade-green eyes focused on the ball, he watched as the other   
teen tossed it up then smashed it at him. putting her weight   
into it like he'd told her long ago. With an agile jump, he   
returned the serve, putting Katie on the run.  
  
The rally for their first point was well-fought, with both   
athletes struggling to outdo the other. Katie found herself   
hard-pressed to come up with something that the   
auburn-haired boy couldn't counter, while Nephrite himself   
was mildly surprised at just how much the blue-shirted girl   
had improved. Outside the court, the audience became   
enraptured at the battle.  
  
As the rally continued, the former Negaverse warrior   
suddenly became aware that he was getting a bit winded. Yet   
despite the abrupt complaints of his new form, he also   
realized that -- with his pulse pounding, his breathing   
rapid and his body suddenly exhausted -- he was feeling more   
alive than he'd ever had in centuries. Distracted by the   
thrilling sensation that filled his thoughts, he momentarily   
froze, utterly astonished. The ball hit the court   
unanswered, then bounded off into the brush up against the   
fence.  
  
"All right! Way to go! Yay, Katie!" Molly shouted, the   
sweet-faced redhead jumping a bit in excitement. Turning to   
the tall girl standing next to her, she grinned. "That was a   
really good rally, but I'm thrilled Katie got the point.   
Even though I think Nathan's cool, and neat, and a real   
hunk, I just have to wish my 'sister' well."  
  
In reply, Lita just stared at the shorter girl for a moment.   
Her irritation hitting a boiling point, she thought, *That's   
it. I can't stand any more.* Her voice colored with a slight   
growl, the brunette abruptly said, "Excuse me, but I got to   
book it. I just remembered that there was something I was   
supposed to do." With that, Lita turned on a heel and strode   
off.  
  
Blinking her large, slate-blue eyes in surprise, Molly   
replied in a quiet voice, having lost some of her   
enthusiasm, "Uh, okay. Guess I'll see you around then."  
  
Lita just stormed off, not even responding to the redhead's   
farewell.  
  
The tall, athletic girl's departure was noticed by one other   
person. Having come back to his senses and gone after the   
ball, Nephrite was standing up from his search, fuzzy yellow   
object in hand, when his eye was caught by the movement of   
Lita's retreat. Staring after the pretty brunette's   
disappearing form, he felt a strange twinge of emotion flash   
through his mind. Caught between the high of feeling so   
alive and the low of pushing his body too far in his fight   
for the rally, the odd aggravation of Lita's departure and   
mild relief at Molly continuing to stay and watch just added   
to the chaotic jumble within Nephrite. With a sigh, the   
auburn-haired boy tossed the ball back to Katie for the next   
serve.  
  
**********************************  
  
Lita stormed along the well-maintained pathways through   
Fairview Park, irritation still filling her mind. Although   
accompanied by guilt -- after all, it wasn't Molly's fault   
she was so annoying in the first place -- the athletic   
brunette couldn't shake the angry emotion. *Bad enough   
Nathan shows more interest in her than me, but knowing that   
she might be just as interested back...* Breaking off the   
thought, she clenched a hand into a fist and involuntarily   
growled. For some reason, the whole thing just made her more   
upset, even though she really didn't have a clue why. *I've   
been disappointed and jealous before, but this time it's   
really bad.*  
  
"Oh! Hi there, Lita. I really didn't expect to see you   
here," came a cheerful, female voice, her words as carefully   
enunciated as always. "I thought you were going to keep an   
eye on Nathan."  
  
The familiar voice broke through the ponytailed brunette's   
dark thoughts, and she stopped to stand next to the park   
bench where her friend sat, a smile now on her pretty face.   
"I was, but he's off playing tennis. Boring."  
  
Amy gave Lita a look of surprise, a stray breeze ruffling   
both her short, dark-bluish hair and the taller girl's   
waist-length ponytail. Sitting on a bench overlooking the   
rose garden that Fairview Park was so well-known for, the   
studious teen had come to visit her long-time friend, Mr.   
Baxter, the park's gardener. Once the victim of the   
Negaverse General Nephrite's schemes, the sweet older man   
remembered nothing of the incident. In fact, after the park   
had been mysteriously saved and he'd been enthusiastically   
retained as the caretaker, Mr. Baxter had gone on with life   
as if nothing had ever happened.  
  
Lita continued talking, ignoring the look of inquiry in the   
other girl's sapphire-blue eyes. "Besides, Molly was there   
cheering on her friend."  
  
Amy blinked, then frowned thoughtfully. The fact that the   
redhead was there explained much of the the tall brunette's   
current mood, but the mention of Katie Sandler sent a   
frizzon of alarm through the intellectual teen's mind. "And   
you say Nathan went there? Where Katie was?"  
  
"Yeah." Lita fixed her companion with a startled stare.   
"Something wrong, Amy?"  
  
The blue-haired genius slowly shook her head, sunlight   
glittering in her close-cropped locks. "I'm not sure yet."  
  
Frowning slightly, the athletic girl gazed down at her   
friend. "Any word on Callie yet?"  
  
"No. Serena and Mina haven't checked in." Carefully   
scrutinizing the area and noticing that the only other   
person even remotely nearby -- Mr. Baxter -- was too busy   
pulling weeds from around the beautiful rose bushes to pay   
attention to his surroundings, Amy pulled out a small   
electronic device that resembled either a calculator or an   
electronic day-planner. Tapping a button, the soft-spoken   
teen-ager talked at the item. "Serena, Mina, come in,   
please."  
  
For a moment, there was only static over both the miniature   
speaker and the round, quarter-sized viewing screen up in   
the right-hand corner of the communicator. During that time,   
Lita moved over to stand behind the park bench so that she   
could look over Amy's shoulder.  
  
Then came a bubbly voice, accompanied by Serena's smiling   
face on the small screen. "Yo, Amy! What's up?"  
  
"Nothing at the moment. Have you been by Callie's place   
yet?"  
  
"Yup, sure have! No answer, though. Guess she wasn't home."  
  
From the background came Mina's sunny voice, "No answer at   
Darien's either." The two girls in Fairview Park could hear   
the sunshine-blond's amused giggle as Serena's image turned   
and momentarily glared off-screen.  
  
A faint frown graced Amy's pretty face. "That's not like   
Callie. Sure, being absent from school, but with no reason?   
And then no answer at home as well?"  
  
The twin-ponytailed blond turned back to face the viewer and   
shrugged slightly. "Anyway, Mina and I are hitting the mall.   
We'll keep an eye out for Callie while we're there."  
  
"Sounds fine with me. See you." With that, the blue-haired   
genius turned off the communicator and put it away. She   
then turned and looked up at the ponytailed brunette   
standing behind her. "For some reason, I can't shake the   
feeling that there's something strange going on."  
  
**********************************  
  
Nephrite watched the annoying yellow ball sail just over his   
racquet as he dove to return the smash. Swearing under his   
breath, he braced himself as well as he could for the   
impact. Both the ball and his outstretched form hit the   
court at the same time. The landing knocked the wind out of   
the auburn-haired teen and sent his racquet skittering   
across the court. The fuzzy yellow orb zinged off into the   
bushes yet again.  
  
In response, just about everyone watching the thrilling   
match gasped, including both Molly and Katie herself. As   
the sweet redhead thought, *That had to hurt. Hope he's all   
right...* the dark-brown-haired girl dashed up to the net.  
  
"Are you okay, Mr. Sanford?"  
  
Slowly, Nephrite stood. Ribs aching, muscles cramping   
slightly from the overexertion forced upon them by an owner   
unused to his body's limits, he found the mere sensation of   
trying to catch his breath alarming. Hearing Katie's voice,   
he glanced over at her, answering in between gasps. "Yes...   
Think so... Please... Call me Nathan." For the first time,   
he got a sharp sense of just how vulnerable he was. Compared   
to his former Lithosian body, this one was proving to be so   
very fragile.  
  
The professional player breathed a sigh of relief. "That's   
good... Nathan. I was afraid you'd hurt yourself. It was a   
valiant try, and a valiant match. I haven't had to fight so   
hard to win one here in a while."  
  
"Yeah... Well... I'm a bit rusty. Guess it shows." Taking a   
deep breath, his gasping now under control, he walked over   
and picked up his racquet. Pain still needling into his   
awareness, the athletic teen then shuffled up to the net,   
aggravation at his predicament once more giving his handsome   
face a slightly cold tone.  
  
Katie gave her opponent a good looking-over with her   
dark-blue eyes. Catching his bitter, defeated expression,   
she cheerfully smiled. "If that's you being rusty, then   
watch out when you're back on your game. You sure gave me a   
bit of a challenge, so don't take it so hard." Still   
smiling, the short-skirted teen held out her hand over the   
net. "A very good match, Nathan. You should be proud."  
  
He stifled an impulse to growl, *Yeah, right,* and forced   
himself to smile back. Recalling his whole reason for coming   
in the first place, he pushed aside all of the negative   
feelings and concentrated instead on that spark of power   
newly awakened within him. As the silvery-green symbol   
appeared in his mind's eye, ready and quietly waiting, he   
gave Katie a true smile as he held his own hand out.   
"Thanks. That means quite a bit coming from you, Ms.   
Sandler."  
  
The unsuspecting girl warmly shook the handsome teen's hand.   
"You're welcome."  
  
When the ponytailed player let go of his hand, Nephrite   
reached out and placed a fingertip on the royal blue   
sweatband around Katie's slender wrist. Time seemingly stood   
still as energy flared to life, transferring from the human   
Gemlord to his former victim. *I endow this item with the   
power of the stars. May their movements guide her path and   
may they augment her energy with theirs in the times hers is   
low.* Beneath his finger, the silvery-green symbol of his   
mark of power glowed on the wristband, tapping her into the   
workings of the energy flows of Nature itself.  
  
The timeless moment ended, and Nephrite looked at Katie,   
slight nervousness in his jade-green eyes as his hand   
dropped back down to his side. When the athlete just grinned   
and turned to walk away, seemingly unaware of the exchange,   
the auburn-haired teen silently sighed in relief. The deed   
was done, and she was none the wiser. *Now for Mr. Baxter,   
the next one on my list...*  
  
**********************************  
  
"Great Mirror of the Vortex, to whom all ways are open and   
no place unknown, hear my command." In response to the dark   
lord's words, the ebony-glassed Symbol of Space embedded   
within the wall of the circular Hall began to glow with a   
deep, blackish-green light. Obsidian stood before the   
Mirror, deep golden-brown eyes cold as he concentrated on   
the energies under his control.  
  
Behind him, slightly to the left, was a tall, silent figure,   
his pale-lavender eyes fixed on the Mirror's shimmering   
surface as the reflection of the Hall rippled away. Neither   
Gemlord spared even a second's glance at the human-sized,   
deep-green glass crystal propped against the wall just to   
the left of the Vortex Mirror itself, the mystic glow of the   
Symbol reflecting off the deep-emerald surface of Sailor   
Andromeda's prison.  
  
Closing his eyes, Obsidian made a graceful gesture with both   
hands as he continued to fine-tune the flow of the Mirror's   
power. "Gaze beyond the realms of shadow and illusion. Turn   
aside false reflections, cut through magic and power. Show   
me the true image I seek."  
  
The Mirror shone brighter, the energy currents stirring   
through the room high atop the Tower, ruffling through   
Obsidian's dark-brown hair and Kunzite's silver locks,   
causing the floor-length cloaks of both Gemlords to billow   
slightly. Feeling the energy swirling around the Hall while   
the Symbol before him took on a glimmering, watery   
appearance as it powered up, the silent Warrior of Elemental   
Fire kept his eyes on the Mirror.  
  
"Show me the Soldier of the planet Mars!" His rich baritone   
ringing with the sound of command, the Lord of Lithos   
released the energies he'd gathered to seek out his stated   
target. A blackish-green aura flaring around his athletic   
form, Obsidian's awareness rode the river of power,   
searching for the one person on Earth who radiated the   
energy of the red planet.  
  
Hair and cloak rippling in the mystic wind, Kunzite   
continued to stare at the watery surface of the Mirror. For   
a long moment, nothing further happened. Then, at last, an   
image began to form.  
  
The grounds of a Shinto temple took shape within the   
eerily-reflective black glass. Peaceful and orderly, the   
scene was dominated by graceful buildings, a fair-sized pond   
surrounded by ginko trees, an orchard of cherry trees in   
late spring, and a torii upon which perched a pair of large,   
glossy ravens. The Mirror then focused on a beautiful girl   
with long, unbound, ebony-colored hair dressed in a   
comfortable, loose-fitting outfit of white and red. At the   
moment, she was leaning over slightly and talking to a   
short, bald-headed, old, squinty-eyed human in similar   
clothes of white and blue. Kunzite's eyes narrowed   
wolfishly as he could see the symbol of Mars glimmering with   
a red light on the raven-haired priestess's forehead, the   
energy of the Mirror having slashed through her Senshi   
camouflage power to reveal the Scout within.  
  
With a start, the silver-haired warrior realized that he   
recognized the place shown. Pale-lavender eyes narrowing   
more, the short priest, the ravens, the temple grounds   
themselves and the cherry trees all combined to bring a   
poignant image to his mind. For a moment, he could see her   
again, a beautiful, sensuous and gracefully slender woman   
whose golden cloud of soft, wavy hair shimmered in the light   
of the Negaverse, barely controlled by her ponytail, and   
whose large, violet-blue eyes shone with gentle passion   
solely for him, holding only cold, harsh contempt for the   
rest of the world.  
  
**********************************  
  
From the past: Dim light from numerous eerily-luminescent   
patches on the cavern's stone walls and ceiling illuminated   
the otherworldly chamber of the Negaverse. "Crows! Icky,   
nasty creatures! Oooh! I *hate*them! And that old geezer!   
How could he resist my power like that?" Agitatedly pacing   
back and forth, Zoisite is a picture of pretty frustration.   
Though the female general's perfectly-tailored uniform makes   
her graceful form even more ambiguous to an observer, it   
also accentuates her sensuously slender build. It's a sight   
that the shadowy figure sitting on a naturally-formed   
bench-like ledge in the cavern wall apparently admires from   
the look in his pale-lavender eyes as he watches her.  
  
Zoisite suddenly stops and spins on a foot to give her   
silver-haired companion a very worried look. "Oh, Kunzite,   
what am I going to do? 'Grandpa' turned out to be stronger   
than I thought, I was attacked by some horrid crows, and I   
was forced to retreat without Pox's Crystal because the   
whole thing was becoming too huge of a ruckus." Her   
beautiful face taking on an agitated pout, her strident   
voice continues, "I can't face Queen Beryl emptyhanded.   
She's already upbraided me for not having all five."  
  
A soft chuckle sounds in the cave. "Your success at gaining   
Techniclon's Blue Crystal has made up for losing the other   
two." Holding out a white-gloved hand, he beckons to the   
androgynous-appearing female. "Come here, Zoe."  
  
She brightens immediately and strides up to the handsome,   
silver-haired general sitting in the shadows. Putting her   
dainty hand in his, she sits down next to him, leaning up   
against his comforting, solid form with a contented sigh.  
  
Kunzite gently smiles, apparently rather amused by his   
lover's antics. "Hush, love. Once again, you're letting   
emotion cloud your judgment. If you'll just relax and gather   
your thoughts, I'm sure something will spring to mind."  
  
"Hmmm." Zoisite purrs softly as she snuggles up against her   
companion, slipping a white-gloved hand into the unbuttoned   
flap of his violet-pink-lined jacket in order to absently   
caress the skin beneath. A dreamy look in her long-lashed   
eyes, she murmurs, "With all the fuss, they may not expect   
another attempt right away. I should go back now, see if I   
can catch him off-guard once again."  
  
"See? That really wasn't all that difficult, now was it?"   
the silver-haired warrior asks, his low voice still holding   
a tone of amusement.  
  
"No," the ponytailed general sighs, a sunny smile on her   
pretty face. "Oh, Kunzite, you're so wonderful."  
  
Another soft chuckle ripples through the cavern. "I know.   
You've told me a million times." Still appearing rather   
entertained, he leans forward and gently kisses the slender   
woman on the forehead. "Now steel your resolve and try   
again. I have faith in you, my love, and I know you'll do us   
both proud."  
  
With a wicked giggle, the golden-blond warrior takes to her   
dainty feet and tugs her sharp-looking uniform back into   
place. Her stride purposeful, her lithe body taking on a   
predatory air, the sweet and loving light in her large,   
violet-blue eyes freezing into harsh, glittering ice,   
Zoisite paces back to the middle of the eerie cavern's   
floor.  
  
Kunzite's pale-lavender eyes remain fixed on his sensuous   
lover as she materializes the Dark Crystal in her gloved   
hand. Once again magic and power swirl within the cave as   
the thin ebony-colored stone homes in on the current Crystal   
Carrier, the mystic wind blowing back Zoisite's golden   
ponytail and stirring even his own silver hair and white   
cape. The image of a short, old, bald-headed, squinty-eyed   
Shinto priest appears in the cone-shaped magical field once   
more.  
  
A cold, evil smile graces the slender Gemlord's   
slightly-masculine face, giving her feminine features the   
look of a carnivore on the prowl. Focused on the task at   
hand yet again, her strident voice holds a note of contempt.   
"The old guy won't be able to fight me off forever. No one's   
*that* strong." Her deep, violet-blue eyes gaze in icy   
amusement at the diminutive priest in the Dark Crystal's   
field. "Go ahead and resist, old man, but it won't do you   
any good." A peal of feminine laughter rings through the   
cave. "Like it or not, you're one of us."  
  
Zoisite raises the back of her curled-up hand near her mouth   
as she laughs once again. Then, with a wave of that hand,   
she calls the slender prism back to her and snatches it out   
of the air. The Dark Crystal dematerializes as she mentally   
locks onto her intended target. A determined, evil light   
shining in her long-lashed eyes, she spins on a dainty boot   
to look one last time at the tall, white-caped figure   
sitting in the shadows. "I'm gonna bring that Crystal home,   
love, just for you."  
  
A similarly wicked smile crosses the silver-haired warrior's   
handsome face as he watches a swirl of pink cherry petals   
appear around the other general's graceful form. The   
spinning cloud intensifies for a moment, then fades away,   
the petals melting into thin air as the Gemlord's teleport   
field makes the jump from the Negaverse to Earth. "Yes, I'm   
quite sure you will, my love."  
  
**********************************  
  
For a moment, the Warrior of Elemental Fire gazed at the   
cherry trees in the background of the scene within the   
Vortex Mirror. From now until the end of time, he would   
always associate cherry petals with his dead lover. *They   
were a tribute to me,* he quietly said to himself. *Ever   
since that one time I saw her standing in the Spring under   
the cherry trees and complemented her, she made her teleport   
field swirl with pink petals. Everywhere she went, they were   
a testament to the love she bore me; she always wanted to be   
beautiful in my eyes.* Shaking his head, he broke his   
reverie.  
  
Meanwhile, Obsidian's athletic form remained still, his   
awareness having traveled with the power of the Symbol under   
his control. The raven-haired priestess upon whose brow the   
glowing red glyph of the planet Mars shone filling his   
psychic senses, the Guardian of Space mentally commanded,   
*Great Mirror of the Vortex, hold the image of she whom we   
sought within your heart. Let nothing she does, nowhere she   
goes, keep you from losing her true form.* Feeling the magic   
of the Mirror lock in on the Senshi's psychic signature,   
knowing that he would be able to instantly find her any time   
he wanted, the dark lord slowly came back to his physical   
self.  
  
Opening his deep golden-brown eyes, the dark-cloaked Gemlord   
turned and faced his silver-haired warrior. "There. Our   
next target's chosen." A chilling smile crossed his handsome   
face, an expression that made Kunzite blink in mild   
surprise. "Follow me. We have plans to make." With that,   
Obsidian disappeared from the Hall of the Mirror in a   
shimmer of blackish-green energy.  
  
The lavender-cloaked Commander frowned slightly, something   
about his lord's demeanor not quite right. *In all my years   
of being his friend, I've never seen that look in his eyes   
before. Strange...* Shrugging, Kunzite dismissed his   
misgivings. Reaching out with his mind, he sensed where   
Obsidian had gone. In a flash of violet-pink energy, the   
tall Elemental teleported out of the Hall as well.  
  
**********************************  
  
Nephrite hiked up the duffel bag once more, his long-legged   
stride carrying him through the mostly silent woods. Still   
in his tennis shirt and shorts, which were more comfortable   
for the weather than his school uniform, he sighed as he   
walked, still sore physically and emotionally. Reaching the   
edge of the lightly-forested land, he stopped and leaned up   
against the solid mass of a tree, taking in his surroundings   
with jade-green eyes.  
  
The breeze blew gently around him, ruffling his   
shoulder-length dark-auburn hair, rippling the surface of   
the small lake located in the center of the park and making   
the leaves of the surrounding greenery dance with its   
passing. He broadly smiled then, enjoying the sight.   
*Fairview Park, slated for destruction in the name of   
'progress'. Yet the very thought of its demise bothered me,   
Negaverse warrior that I was, almost as much as the gardener   
Baxter.* As he watched a couple blissfully row out on the   
lake, a pair of white swans gliding in the boat's wake, a   
warm sense of satisfaction filled his soul. *It was easy   
convincing them to sell the property to me, especially with   
the combination of the money offered and the stories of the   
park being haunted by rabid squirrels attacking the crew.   
Now that I'm here again, I'm glad I decided to save the park   
after all.* Scanning across the mirror-like water, he   
noticed the beginnings of the fabled rose garden. Continuing   
to smile broadly, he pushed off the tree and walked over in   
that direction.  
  
Lita closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm breeze   
on her face. Sitting on the bench next to Amy, the athletic   
girl let her tensions drain away. As for the other teen, her   
sapphire-blue eyes were glued to the textbook she'd brought   
with her. Waiting for her friend Mr. Baxter to get done with   
the weeding so that she could continue her conversation, she   
was taking the opportunity to get further ahead in her   
school's required reading.  
  
With a sigh, the park's gardener pulled up one last weed   
around a well-foliaged Tropicana rosebush. Straightening   
up, knees cushioned by the springy earth beneath them, the   
old man tossed the weed into a white, nearly full   
five-gallon bucket, then wiped his brow with a gloved hand,   
accidentally dislodging his floppy yellow hat.  
  
*What luck. He's right there.* Nephrite grinned as he peeked   
around a tree-trunk and spied Mr. Baxter kneeling near a   
rose. Although a strong twinge of regret for what he'd done   
mellowed his happy emotions, the auburn-haired teen still   
smiled. Determined to make it up to all of the people he'd   
wronged and given a way to do just that by the   
powers-that-be affecting his now-human life, he couldn't   
help but feel pleased with the world despite his aching body   
and smarting pride. Concentrating, he called forth the mark   
of his power, then stepped out from behind the sturdy oak.  
  
Another timeless moment passed as energy leaped from his   
hand to the gardener's battered headgear. Repeating the   
same invocation he'd used for Katie Sandler, Nephrite felt   
his symbol lock onto the material of the hat, linking his   
former victim to the ebb and flow of the power of the stars   
themselves. Then the moment was over, the deed done.   
Nephrite dropped his hand, smiling down at the old gardener.   
"Good afternoon, Mr. Baxter."  
  
Startled, the man addressed looked up, his yellow hat   
falling to the ground. Finding himself blinking up at a   
young man who seemed vaguely familiar, Mr. Baxter got a   
puzzled look on his slightly weather-worn face. "Uh, hello.   
Do I know you?" Realizing that he'd lost his hat, the   
gardener turned away, found it, and then put it back on.  
  
The handsome teen-ager shook his head, an amused-looking   
smile dominating his visage. "Not me, but you've talked to   
my uncle." The kid held out a hand. "I'm Nathan Sanford. I'm   
sorta keeping an eye on Uncle Max's affairs while he's busy   
elsewhere, and I'd thought I'd drop by and see how the park   
was doing."  
  
"Uncle Max? You mean Maxfield Stanton?" Catching the   
newcomer's nod, Mr. Baxter smiled and warmly shook the   
teen's hand. "Well, then, pleased to meet you. I thought you   
seemed familiar. You look like a younger version of Mr.   
Stanton."  
  
"I do?" For some reason, that appeared to bother the   
bag-toting boy. But before the gardener could reply, the kid   
shook his head and smiled again. "I see Fairview Park's   
doing well."  
  
Mr. Baxter smiled as well, beaming brightly as he glanced   
around first at the roses and then to the green spaces   
beyond. "Yes, it is. I can't thank your uncle enough for   
buying the land from the developers and setting up the   
maintainance fund."  
  
Nephrite grinned, thrilled at the old man's obvious joy. "He   
was happy to do it, Mr. Baxter. The thought of all this   
getting torn up by bulldozers for just another stupid   
building of cold glass and steel rankled him as much as you.   
There are few enough spots in this city where the green of   
Nature remains. 'Progress' didn't need to swallow up   
another."  
  
The sound of voices on the wind caught Lita's attention, and   
she opened her eyes. Focusing on Nathan -- of all people --   
standing there holding a conversation with the   
still-kneeling Mr. Baxter, the tall brunette blinked in   
surprise, then gently elbowed her companion. "Hsst! Amy!"  
  
Startled, the blue-haired genius looked up from her book,   
staring wide-eyed at the other girl. "Lita, what's gotten--"  
  
"Look!" the ponytailed teen whispered. With a subtle   
gesture, she pointed out the old gardener and the   
auburn-haired boy talking on the other side of the roses.  
  
"That's Nathan," Amy said out loud to herself. Her eyes   
narrowed slightly in thought. "First Molly, then Katie, and   
now Mr. Baxter? A suspicious pattern indeed."  
  
The athletic girl frowned. "Don't tell me you're convinced   
he's really that Negaverse warrior back from the dead. He   
sure doesn't *seem* like one."  
  
Amy carefully set down her textbook, a finger still holding   
her place. Fixing the teen-aged boy with her intelligent,   
sapphire-blue eyes, she replied, "I'm certainly convinced   
that there's more to this than pure coincidence."  
  
Lita just frowned, not liking that thought at all.  
  
Crossing his arms, Nephrite scanned the scenery with an   
appreciative gaze as the park's caretaker stood up and   
brushed off the knees of his pants. Focusing on the rose   
garden, a few plants already showing the first gorgeous   
blooms of the season, another memory from long ago crossed   
the now-human Gemlord's thoughts.  
  
**********************************  
  
From the past once again: Roses of many colors, both mundane   
and exotic, fill the formal rose garden within the inner   
bailey walls of the Jovian castle, their sweet perfume   
scenting the air. Resplendent in his emerald-green-trimmed   
white uniform, Nephrite bends over to better appreciate the   
smell of a particularly beautiful dark rose. "You're right.   
For a black one, this bush has a very noticeable scent."  
  
Amused laughter sounds from the elegant young woman walking   
through the garden. Her shiny brunette hair done up in a   
topknot ponytail, dressed practically for garden work in   
pants and a shirt, Princess Jupiter smiles brightly at her   
companion. "I'm glad you appreciate it, Nephrite. Thank you   
for escorting me home to Io Castle."  
  
He straightens up, running a hand through his   
mid-back-length hair in order to get it back out of his   
face. "It was the least I could do, dear Princess. After   
all, teleporting from place to place is no big deal to me."  
  
She laughs again. "I know. That's why I asked. Besides, I   
wanted you to see my home -- and I have something to show   
you."  
  
A look of surprise crosses his handsome face. "You do?"  
  
The tall brunette princess grins as she approaches. Taking   
him by the hand, she starts dragging him off through her   
gorgeous rose garden. "Come on! It's over here."  
  
The white-clad commander quietly follows, a puzzled   
expression still quite evident on his face. It was a look   
that grew deeper when he sees that they walk up to an   
isolated flower bed next to where the steps up to the castle   
keep itself ascend.  
  
Princess Jupiter stops, then spins around, still giving her   
companion a mysterious smile. "Now close your eyes." Seeing   
the slightly-annoyed look that lights up his jade-green   
eyes, she softly laughs. "Humor me, dear Nephrite." Nodding   
her head as his eyes close, she wraps an arm around his   
waist and guides him to the flower bed. Positioning him just   
so in front of a particular rosebush, she leans over and   
whispers in his ear, "Okay. Take a look."  
  
He opens his eyes, then blinks in surprise as he finds   
himself looking down at a magnificent flower. The huge   
double-rose was nearly as big as his palm, its silky petals   
a translucent white that appears to almost glow with its own   
internal light. The most striking thing about the bloom was   
the edging of each delicate petal. Bright emerald green   
lined the flower, fading off into the shimmering white.   
Having never seen anything quite like it before, Nephrite   
can only gaze at it speechlessly.  
  
Amusement dances in Princess Jupiter's forest-green eyes.   
"For a number of years, my gardeners have been trying to   
develop a white rose in honor of Her Serene Majesty. At   
first, they were going to get rid of this sport -- after   
all, they knew they hadn't achieved their goal when the buds   
remained greenish in color -- but I wanted to see how it   
bloomed. I couldn't help but think of you when I realized   
what this rose would look like."  
  
"It's absolutely stunning, Your Highness, but why think of   
me?"  
  
With a laugh, the ponytailed princess playfully tugs at   
Nephrite's green-lined white jacket. "It reminded me of your   
uniform, plus I know how much you love roses. So even   
though we're calling it the 'Jupiter Rose', I'm dedicating   
it to you." As the Gemlord blinks in astonishment, the   
athletic young woman hugs him, kissing his cheek. "I'm so   
glad Lord Obsidian let Prince Darien borrow you, dear   
Nephrite. When the rose is established enough, I'll send a   
cutting to Lithos as a thank-you to the Guardian of Space. I   
hear that he's quite the gardener as well."  
  
The Commander of the North remains speechless for a moment,   
then warmly smiles. "I'm sure my lord will appreciate your   
token of thanks. I'm... touched, dear princess."  
  
She stares deep into his beautiful, jade-green eyes, lips   
slightly parted, for a long moment. "No, dear, sweet   
Nephrite," she finally whispers. "'Tis I who am touched."   
She then kisses him, softly, longingly...  
  
**********************************  
  
With a violent shake of his head, the teen-aged human   
Nephrite now was shoved the memory from his mind. *No, it   
couldn't have happened like that. I was only playing games   
with her,* he growled at himself. Yet the feelings stirred   
by the memory were just as real as everything else he'd been   
feeling lately -- emotions similar, but stronger, than the   
ones evoked by knowing he'd saved the park, stronger even   
than the feelings brought about whenever he looked at Molly.  
  
"Mr. Sanford? Is everything all right?" The gardener's   
slightly worried voice cut through his confused thoughts.  
  
"Huh?" Concentrating on Mr. Baxter, the auburn-haired boy   
faintly smiles. "Oh, yeah, everything's fine."  
  
Lita glanced over at Amy. "That's it. I've had it." Before   
the blue-haired girl could respond, the ponytailed teen   
leaped to her feet and began striding through the roses to   
the pair of males at the garden's edge.  
  
"Lita, wait," Amy called after her friend, hastily setting   
her textbook down on the bench and getting to her feet as   
well.  
  
The other girl just ignored the sapphire-eyed genius.   
Topknot ponytail bouncing with her movements, her long   
stride swiftly carrying her along a narrow path through the   
roses, Lita continued her approach.  
  
As the park's caretaker slowly turned to face the source of   
the footsteps along the gravel, the athletic boy noticed the   
two girls walking toward him. Nephrite frowned slightly.   
*Coincidence? Or are they here because they suspect me?*   
When the tall teen came close, he forced himself to smile.   
"Hello again, Lita. Fancy meeting you here."  
  
"Hrmph. I could say the same." She easily met his gaze,   
determined to get to the bottom of this once and for all. "I   
came to find my friend Amy. What's your excuse?"  
  
The intellectual girl just named stopped behind her   
companion, sapphire eyes slightly wide in apprehension.  
  
Nephrite gave the short-haired female a cursory glance, then   
stared back at the brunette confronting him. "You left the   
tennis club in a hurry."  
  
"Sorry, but I got bored." Lita's expression wasn't   
apologetic in the least. "I could tell from the start that   
you needed to work on much more than just your serve.   
However, you still haven't answered my question."  
  
The auburn-haired teen felt himself turn red in   
embarrassment as he was reminded of his slightly humiliating   
loss. Annoyed, he growled, "If you really want to know, I   
came to see Mr. Baxter."  
  
Amy couldn't help but glance at her long-time friend.   
Slightly relieved to find the sweet old man apparently well   
at the moment, she turned her focus back to the shady boy.  
  
"Now why in the world would you want to do that?" Lita   
asked, a suspicious tone to her voice.  
  
"Excuse me, ladies, but he came to see how the park's   
doing." At the gardener's quiet proclamation, the pair of   
females looked at Mr. Baxter in surprise. "After all, his   
uncle was the one kind enough to save it. It's only natural   
he'd come to see what's up."  
  
The blue-haired girl stared at Nathan, an astonished light   
in her eyes. "Are you saying that it was Maxfield Stanton   
that bought Fairview Park to preserve it?" Somehow, that   
concept just didn't seem possible.  
  
"That's precisely what he's saying, Amy," Nephrite replied,   
unable to stifle his slight smile at the girl genius's   
puzzlement.  
  
Lita continued looking at the old gardener, light glimmering   
off her pink, rose-shaped earrings. "Are you sure that's   
all, Mr. Baxter?"  
  
A rose-colored flash of sunlight caught Nephrite's eye.   
Focusing on it, he realized that he was staring at an   
earring that looked like a perfect pink bloom from a   
fairy-sized rosebush. For some reason, an overwhelming   
sensation of familiarity hit him as he stared at the earring   
Lita wore, and with it came another memory.  
  
**********************************  
  
Another flash from the past: The white-clad Northern   
Commander stands on the balcony of the Moon palace, a   
nervous expression on his handsome face. Beyond the entryway   
back into the palace, the sounds of merriment and music can   
be heard. Nephrite turns from gazing down at Queen   
Serenity's rose garden two stories below and looks through   
the door into the ballroom, scanning for the tall, graceful   
form of Princess Jupiter. "Where can she be?" he mutters to   
himself, glancing at a small box in his hand. "She told me   
she'd be right out." Sighing, he opens the box once again to   
see its precious contents.  
  
They sparkle in the gentle starlight, the pair of pink   
sapphire earrings that Lieutenant Sapphire of the Tower   
Guard on Lithos had so painstakingly shaped into delicate   
rose blooms. "I owe you one, Lady Sapphire," he reminds   
himself, knowing from his own experiences how much time and   
magical effortit took for a Gemlord to shape a piece of his   
or her namesake stone with such fine precision. "They're   
gorgeous. I know she'll like them."  
  
"Like what, dear Nephrite?" comes an amused feminine voice.  
  
With a start, the auburn-haired warrior glances at the   
source of the sound, hiding the hand holding the small box   
within the folds of his white cape. "Cosmos, you startled   
me, my princess."  
  
The brunette laughs, the emeralds withinher intricate   
hairstyle glimmering softly. Dressed in a forest-green   
formal gown, Princess Jupiter is a stunning sight. "My   
apologies for being so late, sweet Nephrite, but I was   
waylaid by Princess Venus. She wanted me to hear yet again   
just how wonderful Lord Kunzite is."  
  
"I see," He responds, smiling just a bit. "I bet my   
commander enjoyed every minute of her recitation of all his   
positive points." The Gemlord's tone is teasingly sarcastic;   
it's a well-known fact that Kunzite often finds himself   
blushing in mild embarrassment whenever he's around to hear   
the sunny-haired princess's glowing words.  
  
"To tell you the truth, Lord Kunzite was nowhere nearby, but   
Lord Zoisite was." The elegantly-dressed brunette frowns   
slightly. "Strange. Your Western Commander gave Princess   
Venus a very nasty look and stormed off, leaving poor   
Princess Mercury standing there confused and embarrassed.   
Wonder what got into him?"  
  
Though he has his suspicions, Nephrite keeps his peace, only   
shrugging in reply. "Never mind about that, dear princess."   
He smiles again, this time a bit shyly. "I... have something   
for you. That's why I asked you to come out here."  
  
Princess Jupiter doesn't say a word. Instead, she just   
gives her companion a questioning look.  
  
Closing his eyes, almost dreading her reaction, he brings   
out the hand hidden behind his athletic form and holds out   
the still-open box. "Here. I had a Gemlord back home make   
these for you."  
  
The young brunette woman slowly takes the box from the   
auburn-haired man, gazing at the glittering contents in   
happy astonishment. Finally, she finds her voice. "Oh,   
Nephrite! They're gorgeous." Smiling broadly, she puts the   
box back in the Northern Commander's hand. "Hang onto those   
while I take these ones out."  
  
Ignoring her companion's slightly startled look, she reaches   
up and removes the dangling emerald earrings she already   
wears. One by one, Princess Jupiter drops her discarded   
jewelry into Nephrite's hand next to the small container   
perched on his palm, then takes out a pink rose, sliding the   
golden post through the piercing in her earlobe and then   
fastening the back. Following that, she turns her head from   
side to side, modeling the delicate pink-sapphire flowers   
for him.  
  
"They look wonderful on you, dear princess." The white-clad   
man's smile is now as bright as the one on her pretty face.   
"I remembered that you like roses just as much as I -- pink   
roses most of all -- and I knew these would do your beauty   
justice."  
  
Princess Jupiter merely continues to smile, unphased by her   
companion's compliment. "Thank you, sweet Nephrite. I'll   
cherish this gift for all eternity."  
  
Blushing slightly, he reaches out with his free hand and   
takes one of hers in it. Lightly caressing her slender   
fingers with his thumb, he opens his mouth to say   
something...  
  
**********************************  
  
The memory abruptly ended, leaving the former Negaverse   
warrior staring at Lita's rose-shaped earring in confusion.   
*I swear those are the same ones. Could it possibly be?*  
  
"I'm positive, Lita," Mr. Baxter affirmed, giving the tall   
teen-ager a puzzled look. "Was there supposed to be   
something else?"  
  
The ponytailed brunette shot her female companion a quick   
glance. At the subtle, negative shake of Amy's short-haired   
head, Lita gave the old gardener a slight smile. "No.   
Please, excuse me for barging in like that." She then turned   
her gaze on the auburn-haired boy, only to discover him   
looking at her, his jade-green eyes unreadable. Somewhat   
irritated, she snapped, "And what are you staring at,   
Nathan?"  
  
Before Nephrite could snap back his own abrasive reply, the   
pretty ponytailed girl's words dumping him solidly back to   
reality once again, a small beeping filled the air. Though   
it sounded like the alarm on an electronic watch, the   
reactions from the two girls seemed to make the sound appear   
to be something more.  
  
"Lita, we really need to be going," the intellectual teen   
spoke up, concern lighting up her sapphire-blue eyes.   
Smiling apologetically at the park's caretaker, Amy   
continued, "I'm sorry, Mr. Baxter, but I just remembered   
that the two of us have a very important appointment we must   
attend."  
  
The athletic girl nodded in reply, echoing her companion's   
concern as her aggravation faded away.  
  
"That's quite all right, Amy dear," the old gardener smiled.   
"I understand. Rush off now. I wouldn't want you to be late   
on my account."  
  
As the girl genius turned and retreated down the gravel path   
at a somewhat unusually fast pace, the other teen-ager fixed   
Nephrite with her forest-green gaze. "I'll be seeing you   
again, Nathan," she said, her voice carrying a tone of   
warning. The ponytailed brunette then spun on a heel and   
rushed off after her friend.  
  
Nephrite watched the long-legged beauty depart, wondering if   
her frosty promise was a good thing or a bad thing.  
  
**********************************  
  
As always, the grounds of Hikawa Jinja -- the Cherry Hill   
Temple -- were peaceful, the sunny, late spring weather   
highlighting the beauty of the area. High up on the torii   
near the main building of the temple complex, the pair of   
raven guardians kept a watchful eye. At the moment, all was   
silent; no visitors walked through the well-maintained   
grounds, and the staff themselves were busy with their   
various chores. As Phobos scanned the area near the spirit   
gate with her sharp, black eyes, Deimos shook herself,   
fluffing out her sleek, glossy feathers in order to get more   
comfortable.  
  
A dark shadow suddenly appeared floating in the air,   
blackish-green cloak swirling around his athletic form. His   
clear baritone ripped through the breeze. "Crystal Freeze!"  
  
The pair of startled ravens looked at the source of the   
sound in time to see the glowing globe of blackish-green   
energy right before it swallowed them up. Solidifying   
around the birds and the section of the torii upon which   
they were perched, the glass sphere imprisoning the temple   
guardians made an unusual sight. With a cold smile on his   
handsome face, Obsidian's tall form faded away.  
  
Raye knelt before the sacred fire in the heart of the   
temple, her awareness in a light trance brought about by the   
everyday ritual of adding more fuel to the perpetual flame.   
Thousands of years of grace and harmony flowed through her   
movements as she instinctually followed the ritual taught   
her long ago. Then came a sensation of something that   
shattered her slightly altered state.  
  
*Huh?* she thought, her posture stiffening, violet eyes wide   
in surprise. *I sense danger nearby. Not evil... just   
hostile.* Quickly rising to her feet, the light of the fire   
reflecting off her loose-fitting temple uniform, she turned   
around just as a psychic chill filled the air. Before her   
disbelieving eyes stood a horribly familiar figure, his   
tall, lean form seemingly filling up the entryway into the   
chamber of the sacred flame. "You!" she gasped, her nearly   
frozen mind wondering where in the world did he get *that*   
strange, lavender outfit. "You're supposed to be dead!"  
  
The silver-haired Gemlord smirked, having expected his   
appearance to create such a moment of confusion. Taking   
advantage of the situation, Kunzite threw out his hands to   
either side and called a trigger-phrase, "Fire Energy   
Electrify!" In response, a sphere of violet-pink energy   
flared to life around the young priestess, trapping her   
within.  
  
Finding herself surrounded, Raye snapped out of her state of   
shock. "Let me out of here, creep, or I'll make you regret   
ever coming back to mess with me," she growled.  
  
"Go ahead and try, Sailor Mars," Kunzite chuckled, seemingly   
amused.  
  
The raven-haired teen's violet eyes grew wide in renewed   
astonishment. *How did he know?* Recovering rapidly, Raye   
narrowed her eyes. *I'll worry about that later...* "Very   
well, if you insist." Reaching into her white top, she   
pulled out a red pen with an elaborate gold cap and held it   
high. "*Mars--*"  
  
That was the moment for which the silver-haired warrior was   
waiting. Barking out another trigger, "Fire Energy Shrink!"   
he coldly watched as the force field collapsed in around the   
pretty priestess.  
  
With an involuntary groan forced out of her by the sudden   
pressure, Raye found herself stuck in place, the violet-pink   
energy constricting her so tightly, she couldn't move at   
all. Worse yet than the painful crushing sensation was the   
realization that every time she breathed out, the tightness   
grew worse. Eyes squeezed shut, teeth clenched in pain, the   
raven-haired girl's frightened mind could only comprehend   
one thing. *Not much longer, and I won't be able to breathe   
at all...*  
  
The tall Gemlord continued to dispassionately watch his   
captive, concentrating on keeping the pressure on, yet   
simultaneously casting out with his psychic senses to make   
sure the two of them remained alone. The struggle, if it was   
even that, didn't last long at all; in a matter of moments,   
the girl's agonized expression relaxed into the blank one   
characteristic of unconsciousness. His orders to merely   
incapacitate foremost in his thoughts -- even though he   
personally wasn't inclined to kill the Senshi anyway despite   
their past enmity -- Kunzite dismissed the force field with   
a cutting gesture of his hand. Without a sound, the   
priestess's graceful form slumped to the floor, the red and   
gold pen rolling from her unmoving hand.  
  
Just then, a mental aura stepped into the Elemental's   
expanded awareness. Instantly on the alert, the   
lavender-cloaked warrior stepped away from the entry, power   
tingling in a hand at the ready.  
  
The newcomer that walked into the chamber of the sacred fire   
was a tall, lanky youth dressed in a white and blue temple   
uniform. Sporting longish, shaggy brown hair and holding a   
mop and pail, he seemed quite at home as he strode in,   
unaware of the silent figure lurking just to the side.   
"Raye? Hey, Raye? I got--" Spying the unconscious priestess   
lying on the floor through his long bangs, the young man   
dropped the cleaning supplies. "Oh man! Raye, you all   
right?"  
  
As the mop and pail clattered to the wooden floor, the empty   
metal container tipping onto its side and rolling just a   
bit, the silver-haired Gemlord thrust his hand at the new   
arrival. With a cry of "Zai!", a concentrated burst of   
rose-colored energy hit the shaggy-haired human, sending the   
young man flying into one of the sturdy wooden beams that   
made up the chamber's wall. The temple worker hit hard; with   
a groan, he collapsed to the floor, out cold.  
  
Kunzite sensed the abrupt appearance of a new aura just   
before he heard the familiar baritone voice. "A bit of   
interference?"  
  
Bowing slightly in acknowledgment of Lord Obsidian's   
arrival, the Warrior of Elemental Fire shook his head. "Not   
quite, my lord. Just an innocent who wandered in at the   
wrong time."  
  
"Good," the dark lord acknowledged. Striding over to where   
the pen Raye had brandished lay on the floor, Obsidian knelt   
down long enough to retrieve it, his long cloak pooling   
around his athletic form. Standing once more, he held the   
slender object up to inspect it, the orange glow of the fire   
reflecting off the planet-like emblem at its top. "So herein   
lies the key to the power of the planet Mars," he murmured   
to himself, coldly smiling. Sparing a glance at the   
still-unconscious priestess, whose body was beginning to   
stop gasping for breath, he fixed his warrior with a stern   
gaze. "Keep her under until I return. And remain alert for   
any other possible interference."  
  
"As you wish, my lord," Kunzite responded. Maintaining his   
psychic scan of the surrounding area, the silver-haired   
Gemlord bowed his head. Pale-lavender eyes closing in   
concentration, he mentally reached out to the unconscious   
girl and tapped into her body's energy. Quickly assessing   
the pattern and flow of her natural power, the tall   
Elemental began siphoning off energy at a rate that he knew   
would only keep his victim out cold and nothing more.  
  
Nodding in approval, the Guardian of Space dematerialized in   
a gleam of blackish-green light.  
  
Finding and maintaining the balance of the flow of power   
into himself, Kunzite opened his eyes and stared down at the   
raven-haired teen, a sense of unease at what he'd done and   
was continuing to do momentarily stabbing his conscience.   
*So young, so vulnerable. And an ambush is not honorable   
combat.*  
  
Once more, that contemptuous laughter that had become the   
bane of his mental peace sounded deep within himself,   
bringing with it an overwhelming *need* to feed on the dark   
power at its control. *How touching, dear Kunzite. Your   
concern is most... pathetic.*  
  
*Leave me be*! the warrior thought with a snarl, shoving   
aside the compulsion to send his victim's energy to the   
presence in exchange for the dark, seductive strength of the   
Negaforce he craved.  
  
The shadowy voice laughed again. *What matters honor when   
you can have power? With power, you can create whatever   
honor you desire. Once more, I offer you anything you wish;   
open yourself to me, and everything you dream of will become   
yours. You remember how it felt, the thrill of the energy of   
your Element magnified to its utmost limits through my   
might...*  
  
A shudder ran through Kunzite's tall form, one that was   
equal parts of dread and desire. Breaking out into a cold   
sweat, he closed his eyes and steeled his resolve.   
*Begone*! he silently raged, using nearly every ounce of his   
iron will to suppress both the mocking voice and the gnawing   
hunger that tore at his soul.  
  
The dark sound came one last time, an amused peal of   
feminine laughter that slowly faded away. *You're still   
mine, Kunzite. You will always belong to me,* it whispered.   
Then it was gone.  
  
Near the temple's sacred fire, Raye softly moaned, moving   
slightly. The sound cut through the lavender-cloaked   
Gemlord's awareness, bringing him back to reality. Realizing   
that he'd let his concentration slip, he brutally quelled   
the craving that still clawed at him -- easily done now that   
the presence of the Negaforce had left -- and re-established   
his control over the teen-aged priestess. Casting outward   
with his psychic awareness once again, keeping a vigilant   
watch for any more possible witnesses, he suddenly sensed   
that the other young human was beginning to come to as well.   
With a flicker of thought, Kunzite read and tapped the   
shaggy-haired man's energy pattern also, adding him to the   
low-level siphon.  
  
For a couple of minutes, nothing stirred in the chamber;   
only the occasional pop of the sacred flame broke the   
stillness of the moment. Then came the flare of a powerful   
aura. The Elemental looked up in time to see Obsidian   
reappear in front of him, a frustrated look on the dark   
lord's handsome face.  
  
Before Kunzite had a chance to ask what was wrong, a new   
voice cut through the air, a feminine voice that held the   
ring of challenge in its precisely-enunciated words. "Hold   
it right there!"  
  
Startled, the pair of Gemlords stared at the entryway to the   
room, only to find a pair of sailor-suited Senshi standing   
there. One was a pretty girl with short, bluish hair, her   
clothing composed of a white bodice accented by   
sapphire-blue bows and a sapphire-blue miniskirt; the other   
was a tall, ponytailed brunette outfitted in white and   
green, a determined look in her forest-green eyes.   
Recognizing them instantly as Sailors Mercury and Jupiter,   
the dark-brown-haired Guardian of Space snapped his fingers   
and barked out a command. "Get the priestess, now!"  
  
Recovering, the silver-haired warrior quickly responded.   
Thrusting out a hand, Raye's unmoving form suddenly rose   
into the air, held aloft by his telekinetic power.  
  
"Leave her alone, megadweeb!" shouted the forceful, slightly   
deeper voice of Jupiter. "You -- *huh*?" Suddenly realizing   
just *who* the tall, silver-haired man in the odd, slightly   
medieval-looking violet-pink outfit was, the green-skirted   
brunette broke off in complete astonishment.  
  
The bluish-haired soldier recognized the former Negaverse   
general at nearly the same moment. "*Kunzite*!" Mercury   
hissed in shock.  
  
However, neither Scout had much of a chance to recover from   
the unexpected encounter. As the lavender-cloaked warrior   
quickly drew Raye's floating body to him with an abrupt   
gesture, Obsidian took up an attack stance, legs braced and   
feet wide apart, then thrust a hand in the Senshi's   
direction. A powerful beam of concentrated blackish-green   
energy raced towards the sailor-suited females as Kunzite   
called out, "I have her, my lord!"  
  
Seeing the burst from the dark-haired stranger speeding   
their way, both Mercury and Jupiter leapt to the side, each   
girl taking a different direction to dodge the blast. The   
energy hit the temple floor with a small explosion, the   
force of it strong enough to both blow a shallow crater in   
the wooden planks and knock the Scouts to their knees.  
  
Shaking off the effects of the attack, the ponytailed Scout   
shot her fellow soldier a startled look. "That was close!"  
  
Mercury nodded in reply, light glittering off her golden   
tiara. "Deliberately so. He didn't aim for us."  
  
"Who cares?" Jupiter snapped, getting back to her   
green-booted feet. "They're after Raye! Time to knock some   
heads together." She was through the door before the   
blue-skirted Scout could get back up to give her friend a   
hand.  
  
Dark golden-brown eyes narrowing slightly, Obsidian watched   
as the taller miniskirted girl came thundering back.   
Glancing over at Kunzite and noticing that his warrior had   
the still-unconscious priestess slung unceremoniously across   
a shoulder, the dark lord telepathed a crystal-clear picture   
to his fellow Gemlord. "Follow me!" he commanded, then   
disappeared in a dark shimmer.  
  
Hastily readjusting the raven-haired girl's dead weight to a   
more comfortable position, Kunzite noticed the eerie   
electric-blue flicker of lightning beginning to glimmer in   
the sacred chamber as Jupiter began her attack sequence, the   
antenna on her tiara extended. But before she could actually   
shout the triggering words, the silver-haired Elemental   
teleported, guided by Obsidian's lead.  
  
"No! Raye!" the brunette Scout shouted as Mercury dashed   
into the flame's chamber. Powering down, the lightning   
fading away, Jupiter could only stare blankly at where   
Kunzite and her unmoving friend had been.  
  
Just then, a low groan caught the girls' attention.   
Searching around and discovering Chad's crumpled form   
against the wall, moving slightly, the Senshi momentarily   
pushed aside their worries to see if the shaggy-haired rock   
star was all right.  
  
**********************************  
  
*Oh my aching head and ribs,* Raye silently moaned. Though   
still woozy, she suddenly became aware of the fact that she   
felt like she was floating in the air. Carefully opening   
her violet eyes and fighting off the sudden dizziness, she   
found herself looking down at a marble floor from a position   
right around six feet up, a pastel lavender cloak foremost   
in her view.  
  
The color brought back a memory, a flash of a former foe   
back from the dead and on the attack again. With a start,   
the raven-haired teen tried to come back to full awareness,   
only to discover herself unable to do so. Instead, something   
was mentally inhibiting her, keeping her in a twilight state   
reminiscent of a dream.  
  
Raising her head slightly and peering through her long,   
silken tresses, she saw that she and her captor were located   
in what appeared to be the heart of a palace of some sort.   
They were in a somewhat wide corridor of black-veined   
reddish marble, the dull polish, dim light and dust-powdered   
tapestries hanging on the stone-lined walls all testifying   
to a long age of emptiness and neglect. Though she couldn't   
remember ever being here before, the whole place had a very   
familiar feeling to it; for some reason, the quiet   
atmosphere seemed to make the Shinto priestess feel like   
she'd finally come home.  
  
"As I found on my first trip, it appears it will take more   
than just the transformation pen to open the chamber."  
  
Raye blinked in muzzy surprise. *A second person? And it's a   
voice I don't recognize.*  
  
"And you believe that it would take the princess herself, my   
lord?" quietly rumbled a deep voice the teen-ager knew was   
Kunzite's.  
  
"I'm fairly certain that it will," replied the first person.   
"If you'd kindly set her down, we shall see what happens."  
  
In response, Raye felt herself being gently shifted then   
swung down off the silver-haired man's shoulder. Though   
still locked in that dream-like state, unable to shake the   
sensation of befuddlement that clouded her mind no matter   
how much she fought it, she found herself able to stand.   
Focusing on a pair of knee-high black boots into which were   
tucked a pair of ebony pants, the young priestess slowly   
raised her gaze.  
  
Dressed in a tunic and nearly floor-length cloak as dark as   
his pants and boots, both of which were accented with   
metallic gold and golden brooches bearing glossy-black   
cabochon stones, the other man was tall, though still half a   
head shorter than Kunzite. His hair was slightly wavy and a   
brown so dark it was nearly black, a thick mane that fell   
midway down his back, and a golden circlet with a black gem   
glimmered from beneath his longish bangs. But the most   
captivating feature of the handsome stranger was his eyes; a   
golden-brown so dark they appeared pupil-less, their   
limitless depths seemed to fill Raye's dazed mind. The   
stranger gestured to the girl's right. "Dear Princess Mars,   
if you would be so kind?"  
  
Slowly the raven-haired teen turned and looked at where the   
dark-clad man pointed, still feeling as if she were in a   
dream. There, in the marble-chased wall, was a set of ornate   
double doors that looked as if they were made of bronze.   
Cast in high-relief, the pair of doors were decorated with   
scenes of war, victory and parades, the symbol of the planet   
Mars filling the center of the metallic area. As she blinked   
in confusion at the oddly-familiar scene, she felt something   
get placed in her hand. Dropping her violet gaze, she saw   
that she once more held her transformation pen.  
  
For a second, a thrill of defiant satisfaction cut through   
her confusion, and Raye once more held the pen high. But   
then the dream-like fog reasserted itself, detaching her   
will from her actions. Helplessly, she felt herself change   
into someone other than Sailor Mars, a someone unable to   
resist the gentle but insistent suggestion to open the   
doors.  
  
Kunzite stood in the silent hall, watching as a fiery-red   
shimmer surrounded the young priestess. She became taller,   
more elegant, more mature, her temple uniform transforming   
into a gown of shimmering red, ruby jewelry glimmering at   
ears and throat. For the first time in a millennium,   
Princess Mars stood before the silver-haired warrior, as   
sophisticated and as beautiful as he remembered.  
  
Violet eyes looking far-off and dreamy, the young woman   
reached out and touched the center of the circle that made   
up part of the Mars symbol on the doors with the golden cap   
of the pen. "By the power and in the name of Mars, I ask   
that you open to me, your mistress. Allow me passage to the   
Sacred Flame beyond."  
  
In response, the symbol of Mars on the entryway flared   
bright red, the same glyph glowing within the transformation   
pen in sympathy. Then the bronze panels slowly swung inwards   
on their own, revealing the room within. Still appearing   
entranced, the raven-haired princess gracefully strode   
through the entry. Without a word, the pair of Gemlords   
followed.  
  
The room was plain, an unadorned chamber of well-polished   
black-veined red marble, yet both Obsidian and Kunzite could   
sense the overwhelming flow of energy filling the   
atmosphere. In the center of the room was located a   
free-standing dais of three steps upon which rested a large   
brass brazier within a wrought-iron tripod. Red and orange   
tongues of flame leaped into the air from the metal bowl,   
its strong, flickering light reflecting off the polish of   
the marble chamber. Princess Mars walked up to the edge of   
the dais, then stopped, the still-glowing transformation pen   
in hand.  
  
The dark lord glanced around, then focused on his companion.   
"If you please, Kunzite."  
  
The silver-haired warrior nodded in acknowledgment, then   
strode up the three-stepped platform to stand before the   
burning brazier. Closing his eyes, he opened himself up to   
the energy that flowed around him and filled the room. Fiery   
hot and intense, the prickly power was comforting; born of   
the Element of Fire, it was, by its nature, sympathetic to   
the Commander of the South. Reveling in the energetic   
sensation, Kunzite reached into the heart of the flames.   
When he pulled out his unharmed hand, he held a glittering,   
deep red jewel.  
  
The lavender-cloaked Elemental was about to step away when   
he heard Obsidian's baritone voice give him an order to move   
the brazier from the dais. "My lord?" he inquired, blinking   
in surprise.  
  
"You heard me, Kunzite. Move it."  
  
"If I do that--"  
  
"Of course!" the dark-haired Gemlord snapped. "That's   
precisely why I want it done. Now carry out my order,   
Commander."  
  
Eyes narrowing slightly in distaste, Kunzite raised a hand.   
Under his telekinetic control, the brass and iron focus of   
the power of the planet Mars floated into the air. With a   
gesture, the tripod gently glided over and down, coming to   
rest on the floor right next to the three-stepped platform.  
  
Deep inside her confused, dreamy state, Princess Mars   
silently screamed in frustration and despair as she watched   
the Sacred Flame be moved from its point of focus. Around   
her, she felt the delicate balance of energy go askew,   
watched in befuddled horror as the Flame died out and the   
chamber lost its unearthly polish. In her hand, the   
red-barreled pen went dark, the Mars symbol disappearing.   
Then, with a sickening lurch, the dissonance washed over   
her; the energy gone, Princess Mars slumped to the floor,   
unconscious, shimmering deep red and reverting back to Raye   
as she fell.  
  
Kunzite frowned darkly as he returned to his lord's side, a   
sad feeling of emptiness filling him in the wake of the   
extinguishment of the Sacred Flame. As the Warrior of   
Elemental Fire, his action bothered him quite a bit, yet he   
said not a word. Instead, he merely gave Obsidian a cool   
look as he handed the jewel to the Guardian of Space.  
  
Easily meeting the other's pale-lavender gaze with one just   
as cold, Obsidian took the glittering stone, then held it up   
to look at it. "The Ruby of Flames," he quietly stated,   
smiling. His eyes then flicked to the young priestess lying   
on the marble floor. Handing the jewel back to his warrior,   
the dark lord commanded, "Take the Ruby home. I'll return   
the Senshi to her temple."  
  
With a bow and a salute, the deep-red gem in his fist as he   
placed it over his heart, Kunzite mentally called the   
trigger to open the Vortex Mirror, then disappeared in a   
gleam of rose-colored light.  
  
Obsidian first picked up the transformation pen, then knelt   
down next to the unmoving girl and clipped it to the   
neckline of her white top. Gently picking her up and   
cradling her in his arms, he closed his eyes and   
concentrated, expanding his mental awareness across the   
miles of space between the Shinto temple on Earth and where   
he stood in the middle of Phobos Deimos Castle floating over   
the surface of Mars. In his mind's eye, he could see the   
presence of all the other Inner Scouts gathered in the main   
building as four distinctive auras -- pink, yellow, green   
and blue -- near the consecrated feel of the heart of the   
temple. Centering on the residual sensation of his own   
power, which was a slight distance away from the Senshis'   
auras, Obsidian made the teleportational jump.  
  
In a swirl of blackish-green energy, the dark lord   
rematerialized next to the torii on the grounds of Hikawa   
Jinja. Taking a moment to scan the area, confirming the fact   
that no one else was around, Obsidian then knelt down and   
carefully laid the priestess on the grass at the foot of the   
spirit gate. Staring upwards at the crossbar of the torii   
where the black glass prison remained, the Guardian of Space   
made a sharp gesture with his hand. The vitreous globe   
exploded, the dark shards dissipating as so much ebony mist   
into nothingness. With a raucous caw, Phobos and Deimos took   
wing, none the worse for wear.  
  
Continuing to screech and scold, the pair of avian guardians   
wheeled in the air, intent on driving off the hostile   
intruder. Watching the ravens dive in his direction with a   
less-than-amused expression on his face, the Lord of Lithos   
gathered his focus and called his trigger, "Obsidian Mirror   
Return." He teleported away in a dark shimmer, leaving the   
ravens to circle and complain in frustrated confusion.  
  
The commotion caught the attention of the group of   
sailor-suited Scouts gathered within the large common room   
of the main building. Breaking off their discussion of the   
startling events of not long ago, the young warriors dashed   
outside, Sailor Moon in the lead. Discovering the   
raven-haired priestess lying on the ground, the soldiers   
gathered around her, Sailor Mercury kneeling down to assess   
her friend's condition. "Raye?"  
  
"Is she all right?" asked Moon, light glittering off her   
golden tiara and the red and gold brooches on the round buns   
in her long blond hair.  
  
"Hope so," replied the white- and orange-suited Sailor   
Venus, her sunshine-blond hair swirling around her in the   
slight breeze.  
  
"Look alive, Scouts. Those jerks might still be around,"   
Sailor Jupiter warned, forest-green eyes carefully scanning   
the area.  
  
The familiar voices of her friends cut through Raye's foggy   
awareness, bringing her back to full consciousness. Slowly   
opening her violet eyes and seeing a worried-looking Mercury   
next to her, three other sailor-suited soldiers standing in   
the background, she smiled up at the group. "Am I glad to   
see you."  
  
"Are you okay?" inquired the blue-haired Senshi as she   
helped the priestess to her feet.  
  
"I think so," Raye answered.  
  
"What happened? I mean, I heard about what Kunzite and that   
other Negasleeze did to you, but what happened after that?"   
Moon's lovely blue eyes were full of curious concern.  
  
The brunette Scout scowled. "I'm gonna make Pretty Boy there   
regret that he ever came back from the dead."  
  
A thoughtful frown crossed Venus's beautiful face. "If   
Kunzite's back, and it sure looks like he is, then it just   
might mean that that guy you were all worried about *is*   
Nephrite."  
  
Jupiter's scowl deepened. "He wasn't anywhere near the   
temple. Mercury and I were there with him when we got the   
alarm. And that creep that shot at us wasn't Nathan."  
  
Mercury mentally sighed at the green-uniformed girl's   
insistence. Nodding her short-haired head, she confirmed,   
"The second aggressor wasn't Nephrite. In fact, he was a   
complete stranger, someone I've never seen before. However,   
it was quite obvious that Kunzite was taking orders from   
him."  
  
The Scout with the knee-length blond ponytails continued to   
gaze in worry at Raye as the teen-aged priestess unclipped   
the transformation pen from her temple uniform and stared at   
it.  
  
"Wonder why Andromeda didn't show up?" the tall brunette   
growled. "You'd think a direct attack on one of us would've   
brought her running."  
  
The sunny-blond soldier remained thoughtful. "Maybe they   
got her first? After all, Callie *has* been missing today."  
  
Ignoring the conversation around her, Raye looked at her pen   
a moment longer, recalling the dream-like encounter in the   
mysterious palace. *I need to know for sure. Here goes   
nothing...* Holding the pen high, the raven-haired teen's   
stern voice filled the air. "*Mars Power*!"  
  
Nothing.  
  
The other Inner Senshi all stared at Raye, wide-eyed in   
shock.  
  
"No!" Anger and determination glittering in her violet eyes,   
she tried again, concentrating with all of her fiery will.   
"*MARS POWER*!"  
  
Still nothing, not even a spark.  
  
"Oh Raye! What did they do to you?" Moon gasped, her voice a   
hushed, compassionate whisper as she looked like she might   
start crying right there.  
  
The priestess slowly lowered her hand, gazing sadly at the   
gathering of sailor-suited warriors. "Let's go inside and   
I'll tell you the whole story." 


	6. Mnemonic Tides

MNEMONIC TIDES   
  
  
All was silent in the Great Hall of the Mirror, though the   
feeling of magic and power that filled the round chamber was   
almost oppressive. Already the aura of the reviving   
soulstone was lighting up the whole room, its deep blue glow   
sending eerie shadows throughout the ebony-walled area. As   
usual, Obsidian sat on his throne of forest-green-padded   
black stone, watching the glimmering ultramarine light take   
on a heart-like rhythm, a disinterested look in his   
nearly-black, golden-brown eyes.  
  
Pale-lavender eyes narrowed slightly against the azure   
glare, a cool expression on his handsome face, Kunzite stood   
in front of Sailor Andromeda's glass prison and gazed at the   
shining gem in the center of the Zodiac-decorated carpet.   
*I should be happy right now,* he mused, a bit frightened by   
the cold rage he felt deep within himself. *After all, this   
is something that I dreamed of for quite a while. And yet, I   
almost feel... dead inside.*  
  
Closing his eyes, a sigh of disgust escaping him, he tried   
to sort out his thoughts. *Bad enough I can still feel the   
imbalance of the Element of Fire like an irritating wound in   
my soul,* he groused, his ire sparked once more. Opening   
his eyes and giving his ruler a sidelong glance, he reminded   
himself, *It's only temporary. Balance will be restored when   
we've achieved our goal. He gave me his word.*  
  
*Is that truly good enough?* jibed the dark voice deep   
within him, laughing slightly.  
  
*It is for me. My lord is a man of honor.*  
  
*So were you, once. But that didn't matter in the end.*  
  
*I still am,* Kunzite growled.  
  
A dark chuckle. *Are you so sure about that? I can still   
feel the craving for my power in you yet. Just open yourself   
up, and anything you wish for will be yours.*  
  
*Leave me!* Once more, the silver-haired Gemlord closed his   
eyes, bringing the strength of his iron will to bear against   
the mocking voice and the insistent need that always   
accompanied the whispered words.  
  
*As you wish, *Lord* Kunzite.* Another peal of laughter.   
*After all, a new player is entering the game. And such a   
lovely piece, indeed.*  
  
In the following silence in his mind, the Southern Commander   
felt a chill in his soul. *I can't let her be a weakness any   
more. She trapped me once; I'll not be a victim again.* He   
could feel the swirling currents of power surrounding him   
start to take on a familiar feel, felt his heart begin to   
ache once more. Clamping down on the feelings, shoving them   
aside, he opened eyes as cold as ice and stared back at the   
jewel on the floor. *I joined the Negaverse for her on the   
pretext of a lie. She tricked me into throwing away   
everything -- my home, my friends, my duties, my dignity, my   
honor, myself -- for her and the illusion she gave me. I   
could forgive her for nearly anything, but the loss of honor   
is hard to swallow.*  
  
Behind him, slightly to his left, the blackish-green light   
of the Mirror faded away as the dark-blue star that was the   
reviving soulstone elongated and widened, taking on a   
humanlike shape. Then that flashed away, leaving a lone   
figure lying supine on the circular carpet.  
  
It was a woman, her slender, supple body dressed in a   
sleeveless, short-skirted tunic colored violet-blue,   
knee-high boots of the same color as her white-belted tunic,   
and a thigh-length cape that was light violet-blue,   
metallic-gold-lined and fastened at the shoulders with a   
pair of golden broaches set with oval-shaped, violet-blue   
stones. High up on her left arm was a golden armband set   
with a triangle-shaped, violet-blue stone and beneath her   
long bangs glimmered a golden circlet, an oval-shaped,   
violet-blue stone in its center, the gem gleaming with the   
light of an aquamarine triangle deep within it. Surrounding   
her angelic-looking face, her long-lashed eyes still closed,   
her golden-blond hair made a silky cloud of   
copper-highlighted waves, softening her appearance even   
more.  
  
Kunzite closed his eyes again, the riot of emotions the   
sight of her evoked almost too much to bear. In sympathy to   
the symbol of her Element glowing within her circlet's   
tanzanite, the violet-pink jewel on the silver-haired man's   
brow shone with a red diamond as the deep-level bond between   
them as Elemental Warriors reestablished itself.  
  
*Cosmos, the flowers. All for me, all because I asked.* A   
tear appeared at the corner of a still-closed eye. *It was   
so beautiful, it took away the pain, and the feel of his   
arms around me, the sound of his heartbeat in my ear, made   
it seem like I was in heaven already.* The tear fell down   
the side of her face as she slowly lifted a hand up to wipe   
it away; her other hand remained clenched at her side.   
Suddenly aware that she could sense herself once more, feel   
the tickle of the tear, hear her own heart and breathing,   
her eyes flew open, revealing twin pools of violet-blue that   
seemed as dark and as deep as an ocean. *Alive? But... how?*   
Sitting up quickly, she looked around, searching for the one   
person so dear to her soul. Reaching out with her mind,   
telepathically calling out **Kunzite?**, she found his   
familiar, comforting presence at the same moment she laid   
eyes on him. A thrill of pure joy lanced through her,   
shaking off the weariness and dizziness she felt. Getting to   
her booted feet, she started to run toward him, not paying   
attention to his lavender-hued clothes.  
  
Seeing her there, so beautiful, so vibrant, the tall Gemlord   
almost broke his resolve. Then came the frantic touch of her   
mind, so similar to the frenzied shout she -- in her   
masculine form -- had used to catch his attention in the   
underground prison on Earth so long ago. That scene flashed   
through his thoughts again, and with it came anger,   
bitterness, resentment. She had deliberately set him up to   
betray their ruler and their duties out of pure selfishness.   
It would be a long time before he could forgive her for   
that.Abruptly shielding his mind, he held up a hand in a   
gesture for her to stop.  
  
Feeling the sudden rejection like the slamming of a door in   
her face, seeing both the ice-cold expression in his   
pale-lavender eyes and the forbidding tone of his stance,   
the golden-blond woman froze in place. Confused and hurt by   
his unexpected coldness, tears sprung to her large,   
violet-blue eyes as she nervously started to twist the end   
of her waist-length ponytail around a slender, long-nailed   
finger. "Cosmos, what's with you, love?" Her voice was a   
faint, heartbroken whisper. "You promised you'd never forget   
me."  
  
He relaxed his stance a bit, turned his head away to stare   
at the floor. "I never did, Zoisite. You were always in my   
thoughts. Welcome home." Then, without warning, he turned   
and faded away, his long cloak swirling around him as he   
teleported out of the Hall.  
  
"Hmm. Not quite what I expected from your homecoming,"   
commented a clear baritone voice.  
  
Blinking back the tears that threatened to spill from her   
long-lashed eyes, the Gemlord Zoisite looked over at the   
source of the sound, instantly on the alert. Focusing on the   
dark-haired, dark-eyed man staring back at her, light   
glittering off a golden circlet set with a black cabochon   
stone that rested on his brow, she suddenly grew wide-eyed   
in shock as everything came flooding back to her. Instantly   
frightened, all she could do was gasp, "Oh, Cosmos! Lord   
Obsidian."  
  
He coolly smiled back at the blue-clad woman. "I'm so glad   
you remember the time before the Negaverse, dear Zoisite.   
Don't worry. I haven't used my power to bring you back just   
to execute you again, though I'm sure you're the main reason   
why the Elemental Guard turned traitor."  
  
Quickly recovering, an icy, sly look crossed the ponytailed   
Gemlord's angelic face. "Well, then, Lord Obsidian, if   
that's not the reason why I've been resurrected, then what   
is? If I may be so bold as to inquire, that is."  
  
Her slightly mocking tone wasn't lost on the Guardian of   
Space, though he ignored it for the moment. Gracefully   
standing up, he strode over to the table upon which the   
remains of the rest of their race sat, gazing down once more   
at the melancholy sight.  
  
Wondering what he was looking at, Zoisite couldn't help   
herself. Walking up to the table, she was a bit startled to   
find hundreds of inch-wide spheres of various shades of   
dead-gray stone loosely grouped across the table's surface.   
Realizing that she was staring down at the rest of her   
native people, all gathered together in one spot, she felt a   
mild twinge of regret as the magnitude of that fateful day   
hit her. Then her observant gaze noticed two things: a   
missing stone and the shattered shards of another. A thrill   
of pure terror running through her, the golden-blond Gemlord   
picked up one of the grayish-red pieces.  
  
Obsidian carefully watched as the feminine traitor examined   
the shard. "Beryl," he simply said. Seeing Zoisite turn   
about as white as Kunzite's hair, he coldly smiled again. "I   
know a bit about what went on in the Negaverse after the   
fall of Lithos and the Silver Millennium. You once stated   
that you would throw your life away for Kunzite. I hope that   
sentiment remains."  
  
She stared up at him, her fear now well-hidden beneath a   
cold, harsh exterior. "What are you driving at?"  
  
Obsidian easily met her frosty gaze, unruffled. "I need your   
powers and your abilities as the Western Commander of the   
Elements. I recall just how rebellious you were at times, so   
I'm hoping that you've matured somewhat over the years. If   
not, then it's Kunzite who will pay the price."  
  
Zoisite blinked at that, her angelic face turning white   
again. "What do you mean?" she stammered.  
  
The dark lord picked up another shard of Beryl's soulstone.   
"I brought you back and will tolerate your presence because   
I need you. However, I also need a guarantee on your   
behavior. I will not be crossed again. Therefore, you will   
either follow my commands and behave yourself, or Kunzite   
will be punished in your place. Betray me again, and it will   
be his soulstone lying shattered here, not yours."  
  
What little color that remained in her gorgeous face drained   
away, and for a moment she hovered on the brink of fainting.   
The ruler of Lithos was dead serious; her sensitive empathy   
easily told her that -- she could *feel* his stone-cold   
resolve. Her beloved Kunzite's fate rested on her behavior.   
The very thought of her love no longer existing at all   
terrified her more than anything else she could imagine. "By   
the Cosmos, you really would," she whispered out loud.   
Slowly walking around the table to kneel before the tall   
Guardian, she continued, "You have my word and my pledge, my   
Lord, to obey you and to faithfully resume my duties as the   
Commander of the West. Please, just don't harm Kunzite."  
  
Frowning darkly at the bowed head of the kneeling Gemlord,   
Obsidian growled, "Watch your behavior and you'll have   
nothing to worry about, now will you? Besides, I hold little   
faith in the pledge of one who's proven themselves to be a   
traitor."  
  
Zoisite felt her quick temper rage through her. *How dare   
you?* she wanted to scream. *When sincerely given, I keep my   
pledges to the best of my ability.* She bit back her   
venomous words. He had a reason to mistrust her; it would be   
far better for her and Kunzite both if she bided her time   
and proved to the Guardian of Space that she could be   
trusted after all.  
  
Gazing down at her, Obsidian could feel the ebb and flow of   
her ire. Mentally nodding to himself as he sensed her   
maintaining her control, he couldn't help but faintly smile.   
"Assuming, for the moment, that I accept your pledge,   
Zoisite, I want you to keep this in mind. If you show me   
that you will function as the Western Commander under my   
rule by your word alone, I will reinstate your noble status   
when I'm convinced of your trust and sincerity. However,   
break your word, and once more I will find a way to   
guarantee your behavior. Betray me again, and I will destroy   
the love of your life right in front of your eyes. Have I   
made myself clear?"  
  
"Yes, my lord," she responded. Reaching forward and taking   
his hand in hers, she kissed the signet ring as a sign of   
her promise. "I am yours to command."  
  
Satisfied, Obsidian helped her rise to her feet, then coolly   
smiled at the slender, androgynous-appearing Gemlord. "Go   
get some rest. The aftereffects of the resurrection will hit   
you soon, leaving you feeling even more drained." Letting   
her hand go, he turned from her and walked back to the   
throne.  
  
Closing her eyes with a relieved sigh, she mentally casted   
about to get a teleportational lock on Kunzite's location...   
and found nothing. Not even her deep bond to him as another   
Elemental gave her a clue to focus her power on. Saddened   
and bewildered by his apparent hostility, she felt tears   
spring to her eyes once more as she concentrated instead on   
her assigned quarters here in the Tower. With an agitated   
swirl of cherry petals, the ponytailed warrior teleported   
away.  
  
Sitting on the ebony throne once more, Obsidian pondered   
what he'd just witnessed. *Not quite what I expected, but it   
will have to do. No matter. The project will go on. Now to   
make the next set of plans...*  
  
*********************************  
  
The room was dark at first, the large, rectangular area   
seemingly filled with the atmosphere of a place unused for a   
long time. Then the light crystals held by sconces attached   
to the walls began to slowly come to life as a whirl of tiny   
pink petals appeared. Keyed in as they were to the room's   
owner, the radiance from the glowing crystals was bright   
enough to illuminate the chamber well by the time her   
slender form solidified within the swirl of cherry petals,   
revealing the room to be spacious living quarters, with a   
sitting area at one end of the rectangle and a bedroom set   
-- featuring a large, curtained, four-poster bed -- at the   
other. Decorated in many shades of blue and aqua, the room   
was normally a place of harmony and peaceful retreat.  
  
However, not this time. Zoisite couldn't hold back the tears   
any longer. The *nothingness* that colored her link to   
Kunzite a pointed reminder of the tall warrior's rejection,   
the youngest Gemlord threw herself on her bed, sobbing. Her   
slim body bounced with the impact, and she ended up landing   
on the sapphire blue carpeted floor on her knees. Ignoring   
the pain of the jarring landing, she continued to kneel   
there, upper body lying on the bed, head buried within her   
crossed arms, her slender body shaking as she cried.  
  
Behind her and a distance off to her left, a second form   
took shape just in front of the door in the center of one of   
the long walls. Though he remained cloaked to her powers, he   
could still sense her, and the profound grief he felt had   
prompted him to weaken his resolve and at least check on   
her. After all, he still loved her so much it nearly hurt,   
and she remained his student and his responsibility. Yet the   
very sight of her again brought the anger and shame to wash   
over him. Shaking his head slightly, Kunzite remained   
standing there, unnoticed, caught between conflicting   
emotions.  
  
For a long, seemingly timeless moment, things remained that   
way in the Western Commander's private chambers. Then,   
finally, Zoisite lifted up her head to stare, red-eyed and   
unfocused, at the wall. Sniffling, she absently brought a   
hand up to wipe her eyes, then paused as it dawned on her   
that her right hand remained clenched in a fist. Not once   
since she had realized that she was alive again had she   
opened that hand. Startled by that revelation, she uncurled   
her fingers, wondering why it seemed so important to not do   
so before.  
  
A single cherry petal was what met her violet-blue gaze, a   
tiny, pale pink heart that shimmered with a faint light.   
With a gasp, more tears welled up in her large eyes as the   
memories of her final moments as a general of the Dark   
Kingdom came to mind. There it was, tangible proof that   
everything hadn't been some twisted dream after all; the   
millennium in the shadows had been real. "Oh Cosmos...   
Kunzite..." Her voice was a whisper made harsh from her   
crying.  
  
Even from that distance, the sound of his name caught his   
attention, as did the heartbroken tone. He took a step   
forward, booted feet silent on the carpeted floor, but the   
continued murmuring of his beloved Zoisite made him stop   
there in his tracks. Long cape settling gracefully around   
his tall form, the silver-haired Gemlord stood there still   
unnoticed as he listened.  
  
Staring at the petal, eyes locked on that final memento of   
her former life, the young feminine Western Commander   
ignored the new tear that rolled down the fair cheek of her   
angelic face. "How long? How long have I been dead and you   
without me? Has it really been long enough that you love me   
no more?" She choked back a sob that threatened to shatter   
her already shaky composure. "No, I can't believe it's over.   
Not after everything I did, everything I sacrificed to win   
it in the first place. Alex, Gar, Spess, Ame, Para, Char...   
Everyone I held dear, every place I remember fondly as   
'home', I traded it all."  
  
Slender fingers curled back around that tiny pink symbol.   
With a typical swing of her emotions, her profound grief   
shifted to profound determination and rage. "You're *mine*,   
now and forever. I tossed it all away to have you. I will   
not be denied."  
  
Behind her, Kunzite frowned. His own anger sparking anew at   
Zoisite's possessive declaration, he silently vowed, *Love   
or not, I am no one's property.* Disgusted at his now-former   
lover's behavior, he dropped the psychic shielding that kept   
her from sensing his presence.  
  
With a soft gasp of horror, suddenly *aware* of the tall   
Gemlord warrior, Zoisite whipped her head around to look for   
him. Mouth agape, her pretty face drained of all color, her   
violet-blue eyes wide in shock, it was all she could do to   
just stare.  
  
Coldly, as frosty as his appearance, the Fire Elemental   
teleported out of Zoisite's chambers without uttering a   
single sound. As his form faded away in the midst of a   
shimmer of violet-pink light, he very deliberately shielded   
himself from her once again.  
  
"Kunzite! *No*!" Leaping to her feet, she started to run to   
him, as if she could stop his disappearance by capturing him   
in an embrace and never letting go. It was futile, she knew,   
even before she stopped herself to stand where he had been.   
Feeling the pointed rejection as keenly as if he had   
physically slapped her across the face, Zoisite sank to her   
knees, her slim form shaking with the jagged sobs that tore   
through her.  
  
*********************************  
  
"I just can't believe it." Serena continued to frown as she   
made that declaration. "There just *has* to be a Sailor   
Mars. It's just not *right* without there being one."  
  
"Yeah, I agree. There's just gotta be a way to fix this   
problem," Lita replied.  
  
Amy nodded, her face in a thoughtful expression. "I'll try a   
few more runs at analyzing what's changed with Raye after   
school."  
  
The three girls were walking together down a crowded hallway   
of Crossroads Junior High. As the other kids around them   
were dashing off to their first class of the day, the trio   
were also on their way to their various homerooms. Serena   
and Amy walked side by side, the former holding her   
bunny-decorated book bag while the latter clutched her   
required schoolbooks against her chest with an arm. Their   
tall brunette companion strode along behind them, her height   
making her easily the best lookout for any possible trouble.  
  
"We really need to solve this," the blond teen insisted, her   
voice lowered to a tone that only her two friends could   
hear. "And the sooner the better. It's *murder* having to be   
out of bed so early."  
  
Lita sighed. *Leave it to Serena to be concerned with the   
inconvenience.* Leaning forward slightly so that her voice   
only carried to the other two, the athletic girl murmured,   
"Maybe following this plan will get you into a good habit   
for once."  
  
"Yes. Getting to school on time would be a very good habit   
for you to acquire, Serena." Amy had to admit that Lita had   
a point.  
  
"Amy--" Blue eyes widening in surprise, the blond teenager   
was about to accuse her friend of picking on her when she   
realized that they had arrived at Ms. Haruna's room. "Never   
mind. Here's my homeroom. See ya at lunch." Fixing the   
taller of the girls with a bright smile, Serena added, "And   
Lita? Save me one of those chocolate chip muffins, please?"   
Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared through the   
doorway into the classroom beyond.  
  
The blue-haired teen smiled, amused, as she and Lita   
continued down the hallway. "At least she didn't forget her   
lunch yet again."  
  
Lita laughed. "I suppose I can spare a muffin for her."   
Turning to a more serious demeanor, the brunette lowered her   
voice again. "So, any ideas on what to do about Raye?"  
  
"Not really. It's obvious that moving the Flame in the   
castle disrupted the transmission of power, but without a   
way to get there and move it back, I don't think there's   
going to be much we can do." She paused a moment,   
sidestepping a group of boys hurrying past, while around   
them the sounds of other teens grabbing their belongings and   
slamming shut lockers were heard above the murmur of the   
crowd. "I only hope I can find a way to reroute the power,   
but that doesn't look too promising."  
  
"I suppose then we'll be hanging around each other as much   
as possible. Too bad Mina doesn't go to the same school as   
we do. It would make things easier." Frowning to herself,   
Lita shook her head, sending her ponytail gently swinging.   
"I just can't get rid of the feeling that they'll be back."  
  
"Artemis won't be too far away from Mina while she's in   
school, and you know she'll stay around other people until   
we get over there. I agree with you; there's safety in   
numbers. Until we get to the bottom of this, we need to   
stick together."  
  
The pair of girls walked on for a moment longer, the sounds   
of others getting ready for the start of the school day   
fading slightly as the time for the ringing of the first   
bell approached.  
  
Reaching another classroom, Amy fixed Lita with her sapphire   
gaze. "Here's my homeroom. Meet you again in the courtyard   
for lunch?"  
  
The brunette nodded in affirmation. "Yes, of course. They   
probably won't *try* anything here in the middle of school,   
but ya never know."  
  
"All right then. Hurry to class and see you later, Lita."   
Flashing her friend a bright smile, Amy reached out with a   
slender hand -- her other arm still clutching her textbooks   
against her chest -- and opened the classroom door.  
  
The ponytailed teenager hurried off, not staying around long   
enough to see the girl genius actually slip into the room.   
Amy was right; she had to get a move on or she'd still be   
out in the hall when the starting bell rang. Stepping up her   
pace, Lita's long legs ate up the distance down the   
nearly-deserted corridor, her mind intent on beating the   
clock.  
  
Another success. Nephrite smiled to himself as he turned   
away and headed toward the doorway, rather proud of himself.   
Ms. Lambert, the home economics teacher that had caught his   
attention that one fateful day when she had been so wrapped   
up in her wedding plans, had been as easy a target as he had   
expected. After all, he *did* happen to attend the very same   
school in which she taught.  
  
"And tell your uncle thanks again, Nathan."  
  
"Oh, I'll be sure to pass along your message," the   
auburn-haired boy replied, opening up the door, his voice   
easily carrying over the loud murmur of the kids there as   
they talked to one another waiting for class to start.   
Without looking over his shoulder, Nephrite's smile changed   
to a sly grin. "And he's sure you two will enjoy that second   
honeymoon. As he said, 'A generous gift for the most   
beautiful bride I've seen in a long while'. I hear Tahiti's   
very nice this time of year."  
  
He could practically *feel* the teacher's blush of pride as   
he stepped out into the hallway and pulled the door closed   
behind his athletic body. *That went as smooth as silk.* He   
couldn't help but grin at his little victory; his mark of   
favor now resided upon Ms. Lambert's dress's sleeve where he   
had managed to touch her when he gave her the tickets for   
the fortnight-long Pacific cruise -- along with hotel   
reservations and a wad of cash in the plain white envelope.  
  
However, he didn't have long at all to gloat in his private   
little victory. The next thing he knew, he was smacked hard   
by a *very* solid form and sent sprawling across the   
linoleum floor.  
  
"Why don't you watch where you're *going*?" It was a rather   
angry, annoyed shout Nephrite heard as he shook his head,   
trying to recover from his surprise. "What do you think   
you're *doing*, stepping right out of a room in front of me?   
You should be in class-- oh..."  
  
The ponytailed brunette trailed off, finally seeing just who   
it was she had knocked over. *God, he's still so dreamy...*  
  
Peeking up through his auburn bangs, Nephrite frowned as he   
realized that he had just been bowled over by Lita.   
*Figures. Of all the people in Crossroads Junior to run   
into, it would be *her*.* Reining in his own annoyance, he   
concentrated instead on getting back to his feet. "I could   
say the same for you."  
  
Just then, the shrill sound of a bell pealed throughout the   
school. As one, the pair of teens groaned in reaction. They   
were both late now; class was underway. "Thanks a lot, Lita.   
If you hadn't splattered me across the floor--"  
  
"If you had been watching the hall before stepping in front   
of me--"  
  
They both stopped, noticing that they had been speaking   
simultaneously, then warily looked at one another. Lita's   
forest-green eyes then shifted from him to the number and   
name on the door from which he'd emerged. She sucked in a   
breath, eyes getting wider, then turned her attention back   
to almost glare at Nathan. *That was Ms. Lambert's room.   
What was he doing there? Maybe Amy's right after all.*  
  
His own jade-green eyes narrowing in reaction to the   
brunette's suddenly suspicious expression, the athletic boy   
felt the fine auburn hairs on the back of his neck rise.   
*She knows. Great job, Nephrite.*  
  
The tall girl crossed her arms over her chest, an impatient   
scowl settling on her pretty face. When she spoke next, her   
voice was a harsh whisper. "What are you doing to them   
*this* time?"  
  
He backed up a couple of steps, nearly bumping into the row   
of lockers that lined the hallway there, the light of the   
fluorescent fixtures making the reddish highlights of his   
dark brown hair rather noticeable. "I need to get to class."   
His own voice held quite the no-nonsense tone; he wasn't   
going to go there. Instead, he pushed off with a   
sneaker-clad foot and half-walked, half-trotted past the   
tall girl and her critical, forest-green gaze.  
  
Lita spared his retreating form just a fraction of a glance,   
long topknot ponytail swaying around her to brush against   
her shoulders. *If you think that this is it, you're sadly   
mistaken. This is far from over, Nathan, Nephrite, whoever   
you are. I won't let you hurt them again -- not even   
Molly...* Her athletic body taking on a determined stance,   
the tall teen hurried off to her homeroom, hoping that she   
wouldn't get into *too* much trouble for being late.  
  
*********************************  
  
Power coursed through the confines of the circular Hall,   
making deep brown hair and a coppery-gold ponytail, as well   
as a long ebony cape and a thigh-length violet-blue one,   
ripple like banners in the psychic wind. Before the two   
figures standing there at the foot of the three-stepped   
dais, the Vortex Mirror glimmered and gleamed, its deep,   
blackish-green aura reflected by the illumination crystals   
beneath the dome of the room's ceiling.  
  
"Show me the Soldier of the planet Mercury!" Another flare   
of black-green light surrounded the ebony-clad form of Lord   
Obsidian as the light around the Mirror died, the energies   
gathered by the Lord of Lithos shot like an arrow to slash   
through Senshi powers and find the sole person on Terra that   
radiated the psychic signature of the planet of thought and   
communication.  
  
A slender hand came up to shield large, long-lashed,   
violet-blue eyes from the gale of magical energy. Zoisite   
stood behind her people's ruler, gazing into the rippling,   
watery surface of the obsidian Symbol of Space as a picture   
began to form upon it.  
  
As the black surface settled, the Western Commander saw the   
image of what appeared to be a school. Concrete steps rose   
to a set of double doors that swung open even as she   
watched. A number of teens -- *How nice. Terran brats to   
deal with* -- stepped out of the building. One figure came   
into sharp focus, that of a studious-appearing girl with   
short, straight, blue-tinted hair and intelligent,   
sapphire-blue eyes. Arms clutching a stack of heavy   
textbooks, she was talking to another girl whose golden hair   
was done up in two long ponytails topped by silly-looking   
round buns. Then the blue-haired teen turned her head--and   
Zoisite hissed softly in response. The glyph of Mercury   
shone with an azure light on the studious female's forehead.  
  
With a tone of assured command, Obsidian's mellow baritone   
filled the circular chamber. "Great Mirror of the Vortex,   
hold the image of she whom we sought within your heart. Let   
nothing she does, nowhere she goes, keep you from losing her   
true form."  
  
Once again, the power of the Symbol locked onto the Senshi's   
psychic signature; with a sly smile on his handsome face,   
Obsidian opened his dark, golden-brown eyes and turned to   
face the slender Gemlord, his long cape swirling gently   
around his legs.  
  
"Here's your chance, Zoisite," he intoned, his faintly harsh   
voice emphasizing the lack of any titles added to the   
Western Commander's name. "Show me just how devoted you are   
to your pledge. Watch the Mirror until our target gives you   
an opportunity to ambush her -- alone. I wish there to be no   
witnesses, and no help for her. Strike to subdue; I want her   
captured and rendered harmless with as little damage as   
possible."  
  
"Yes, my lord," the graceful warrior nodded, her long   
ponytail glimmering softly in the light shed from the   
illumination crystals.  
  
Fixing her with a cold stare, Obsidian frowned slightly.   
There was something about the tone of her strident voice   
that he just didn't like. "Do *not* go out of your way to   
hurt her and claim it to be an accident. I assume you have   
learned your lesson; I will be even less tolerant toward   
such behavior as Beryl had been. Is that *understood*?"  
  
Zoisite's beautiful face hardened, quite piqued at the   
Guardian's insinuation and the reminder of the circumstances   
of her death. "Yes, my lord. I will endeavor to subdue the   
Senshi without harm."  
  
"Good." He stared at her a moment longer, then turned away,   
long cloak fanning out around him, the metallic gold trim   
glittering. "Then watch and wait. When you have taken her,   
let me know." With that, Obsidian was gone, disappearing in   
a shimmer of blackish-green light.  
  
Turning her attention to the image in the Mirror, Zoisite's   
violet-blue eyes narrowed beneath long, coppery-gold lashes   
as the youngest Gemlord fumed. "I'll show you, my lord, that   
I *can* follow orders." Tapping a fingertip against her   
sensuous lips, she glared at the Earthling upon whose brow   
the Mercury glyph continued to gleam. *Here, Senshi, Senshi,   
Senshi... Just slip away from your little friends and let me   
do my job.*  
  
*********************************  
  
The final tones of the strident ringing of the bell sounded   
in the air as the boy known as Nephrite Sanford stepped   
smartly down the flight of concrete steps to the walkway   
below. *At least there's been no sign of Lita or her Senshi   
friends all day.* He just knew, somehow, that Amy and the   
tall, ponytailed brunette were aware of who he truly was,   
and that thought actually frightened him. Would he be   
allowed to continue on his quest to make it up to those he'd   
robbed of their chance to truly shine? Or would the Senshi   
only see him as a threat, never to be trusted again? *Can't   
say that I'd blame them if they don't want to give me a   
second chance. I'm just damned lucky I have the one I *do*   
have.*  
  
Tennis-shoe-clad feet touched the sidewalk; he paused a   
moment and took a long look around, scanning the area for   
any of the human girls that were Senshi in disguise. There   
were any number of kids milling about and standing around in   
little groups talking, but of Amy, Lita and Serena, there   
was no sign. A sly smile of relief settling on his boyishly   
handsome face, Nephrite hiked up his expensive duffel bag to   
rest comfortably on a broad shoulder and headed off down the   
street.  
  
His next visit would be to Peter Fisher, the award-winning   
photographer. He'd already done the research he needed at   
home in the huge mansion on the wooded hill; the Internet   
was certainly a very useful tool indeed. Of course, he'd   
never be as adept at ferreting out information over   
computers as Jadeite had been.  
  
Jadeite. The very thought of the slightly older Gemlord with   
the well-trimmed, short, curly, light-blond hair and   
amber-gold eyes made Nephrite stop in his tracks. Glancing   
up at the azure sky, he couldn't help but wonder what   
exactly Beryl's spell had done to him. And, for the first   
time in a hell of a long time, the auburn-haired former   
Negaverse general thought fondly of the man he'd once called   
brother.  
  
*********************************  
  
From a long ago past: Commander Nephrite walks along a   
glistening white pathway in the well-landscaped grounds of   
the Moon Palace. Behind him, the elegant, white spires and   
onion towers of the gleaming palace reach up to the pale   
blue sky where a crescent Earth can be faintly seen.   
However, the beauty of the scene is unremarked by the Earth   
Warrior's notice; having been here a couple of months now,   
he has become rather used to it.  
  
Up ahead, over on a lush field of grass that borders along   
the formal rose garden that is the pride and joy of Queen   
Serenity's gardeners, stand two figures. One is a slightly   
stocky man dressed in a white uniform almost identical to   
the one Nephrite wears, short blond hair swiftly identifying   
him as Commander Jadeite, while next to him stands a woman   
full of elegant grace, a long, streaming cloak of   
raven-black hair framing her pretty face and falling to hang   
as far down her as her knees. Nephrite smiles wryly, seeing   
that Jadeite's doing as Prince Darien had commanded and   
keeping Princess Mars close company.  
  
Crossing the remaining distance between himself and the   
other Gemlord, the green-eyed Commander of the North reaches   
up with a hand and lightly taps Jadeite in the shoulder with   
a fist. "All right, what's up? Why did you ask me to come   
meet you out here?  
  
The slightly shorter man slyly grins and claps a hand on   
Nephrite's shoulder. "I just learned a game and thought   
immediately of you. It just seemed like something you'd   
like."  
  
"Oh really?" The brunette Gemlord raises an eyebrow at that.   
It was well known that he was fond of sports and often   
worked out at on the elaborate equipment at the gymnasium to   
keep his athletic form in top shape. The fact that Princess   
Jupiter was as much a sports lover as himself had only made   
Nephrite's assignment to keep the Jovian royalty amused and   
out of Prince Darien's hair that much easier.  
  
Jadeite, however, is a different story. Far more involved in   
intellectual pursuits, especially strategy games played on   
computers, the light-blond-haired Commander of the East   
exercised his mind quite a bit more than he did his body;   
however, that didn't mean he was out of shape. Like the   
others, he was in top condition. It came in handy on their   
patrols throughout the Cosmos.  
  
"Yes," Princess Mars replies, smiling sweetly at the   
dark-haired Lithosian as she steps up close to Jadeite and   
slips a hand in his. "It's called *t'niz* and it's quite the   
rage." She then turns and tugs Jadeite along, walking across   
the well-groomed grass over to a place where a low net is   
strung across the middle of what looks like two large   
squares marked out on the grass in white chalk.  
  
Following behind them, Nephrite appears a bit surprised and   
slightly bemused at both the way his fellow Lithosian is   
holding hands with the Martian princess and the playing   
field set up in the verdant lawn. When he reaches the area,   
he glances over the playing field. "And just how is this   
'*t'niz*' played?"  
  
"Quite simply, actually, Neph." Jadeite chuckles, bending   
over. His white cape flows around him as he picks up a pair   
of racquets in his one free hand. Straightening up again, he   
stretches out his arm, offering the other Gemlord the choice   
of racquet. "We each take a side of the court, with the net   
between us. Then one of us tosses a ball up into the air and   
hits it over to the other one. The object, of course, is to   
score a point by hitting the ball in such a way as the   
opponent cannot return it to you. But in order to score, the   
ball has to hit the ground within the marked out square." A   
wicked grin crosses the Air Warrior's face. "No score for   
hitting the ball to hell and gone, Neph."  
  
Grabbing one of the offered racquets, the taller of the two   
men tugs the item from Jadeite's grasp and flashes him a   
look of mock innocence. "Cosmos, here you are accusing your   
own younger 'brother' of trying to cheat even before I play   
the game."  
  
Princess Mars gets a slightly astonished look on her face,   
large violet eyes looking from one Gemlord to the other. "I   
didn't know you two were brothers."  
  
"In the technical sense, we are and we are not," the Eastern   
Commander begins to explain. "You see, we aren't like most   
species in the Cosmos; we were all created by the Vortex   
Mirror instead of born of the union of adults of opposing   
sexes. Thus you could say that we are all brothers and   
sisters of one another, or you could say that none of us are   
related.  
  
But we have a need built within us for relationships of   
various degrees of intimacy, just as you who breed do. So we   
have fulfilled this need by agreeing to any number of   
relationships. There are some we consider just friends, some   
are considered cousins, and still others are considered   
siblings. Most intimate of all are the ones we consider   
lovers or spouses."  
  
Stepping away and idly swinging his racquet to get the feel   
of it, Nephrite smiles to himself as he takes command of one   
of the squares marked out in brilliant white on grass green,   
apparently expecting to wait a while as the Air Warrior goes   
on with his lecture of basic Lithosian culture.  
  
*********************************  
  
An echo of that long ago smile remained on Nephrite's   
now-youthful face as he continued walking down the sidewalk,   
his shadow stretching out over the concrete behind himself.  
  
Behind him, from a recessed doorway along the side of the   
main building of Crossroads Junior High, a pair of dark   
emerald eyes stared after his retreating form. *I know the   
cats and the others are going to be angry with me for not   
sticking with everyone, but I *can't* let him keep doing   
whatever it is he's doing. He's already screwed up their   
lives once.* A puzzled scowl settled on Lita's pretty face;   
as far as she could tell, Nathan hadn't actually done   
anything harmful to the former victims of General Nephrite's   
energy-gathering schemes. That still didn't mean that he   
wasn't up to something. *And I can't ask the others to come   
with me, since Artemis made me promise not to confront him.   
But damn it, there are innocents involved.*  
  
Steeling her resolve, the tall brunette slipped from the   
doorway and strode after the auburn-haired boy. She would   
deal with the consequences of her actions later. For now,   
she just *had* to see what he was doing.  
  
*********************************  
  
"Lita? Lita!" Frowning as she looked around, Amy scanned   
over the now-hushed area around the main entrance into the   
junior high the three friends attended. "I was certain that   
we all were supposed to rendezvous here after our last   
class."  
  
"Maybe she got held after?" Serena suggested, her bright   
blue eyes filled with slight worry for their ponytailed   
friend.  
  
"She didn't mention anything like that earlier in the day.   
But it is a possibility." A thoughtful expression settling   
on her visage, the blue-haired girl nodded slightly. "Why   
not go look and see if Ms. Hibari is keeping her after for   
some reason? Come on, Serena."  
  
The studious girl had only taken a couple of steps back   
toward the sturdy, metal double doors, clutching her stack   
of textbooks tight against her chest, when the other girl's   
voice caused her to pause.  
  
"If we both go, we could miss her and we'll be running back   
and forth throughout the school all afternoon long."   
Pouting, the teen with the twin ponytails of golden blond   
hair topped with round buns folded her arms over her   
breasts. Her voice shifting to a plaintive whine, Serena   
continued, "I don't wanna be here all afternoon. There's a   
Sailor V game in the Crown Arcade with my name on it! And a   
gorgeous hunk of an attendant to stare at! Amy, I have   
*better* things to do than hang out here looking for Lita."  
  
"Serena," Amy began, a slightly chiding tone creeping into   
her usually soft voice. "What if Kunzite and that other   
person come back? Any one of us could get into trouble if we   
don't stick together."  
  
"I know," the blond teenager replied with an exaggerated   
sigh. "But get real. This is a school. There are teachers   
all over the place still, as well as the students of the   
various clubs. If I stay here in case Lita comes to meet us   
like she's supposed to, I should be just fine. Just as you   
should be all right if you go into the building to look for   
Lita in Ms. Hibari's room."  
  
The shorter girl thought it over a moment, then nodded in   
agreement, "All right. You do have a point, Serena. You wait   
here and I'll go inside." When the female with the twin   
ponytails nodded an affirmation of their agreed-upon plan,   
Amy stepped back over to her friend. "I'll leave my books   
here with you, and I'll hurry back, hopefully with Lita in   
tow." She knelt down for a brief moment, a stray breeze   
ruffling her short, straight hair -- as well as making   
Serena's long ponytails flutter like ribbons of blond silk   
-- and deposited her stack of books on the exposed aggregate   
concrete at Serena's feet. Straightening up, Amy met the   
other girl's impatient stare with a sweet smile and a faint   
laugh. Turning around, the girl genius strode over to the   
double doors, pulled open one of the metal panels by the   
sturdy, silver handle and disappeared, slipping into the   
building.  
  
Once inside the oh-so-familiar halls of Crossroads Junior,   
Amy swiftly made her way through the building. Here and   
there she could catch soft noises of murmured conversations   
in the distance, the bang of a locker shutting or the sound   
of a desk scooting across the linoleum floor. Even though   
there were such indicators of people around, the halls   
themselves seemed unearthly quiet, especially compared to   
the normal din that filled the corridors between classes.   
Though she felt silly to be scared--after all, she was in a   
familiar place and she really wasn't alone -- Amy still felt   
as if her heart jumped into her throat as a loud *slam* from   
a locker being closed nearby echoed in the hushed stillness.   
*Just a locker, Amy,* the blue-haired genius told herself.   
*See? Nothing to be frightened about at all...*  
  
Down the hall, behind the slim teen, a swirling pink   
blizzard suddenly formed -- then flickered away, petal by   
cherry blossom petal. Slipping to the right, dainty feet   
making barely any sound at all, Zoisite plastered her   
slender, graceful form against the row of lockers lining the   
corridor, violet-blue eyes narrowing beneath long lashes.   
Casting outward with her telempathic power to make a sweep   
of surrounding lifeforms, the Western Commander of Lithos   
fixed her target with her cold, glittering gaze. *Good...   
There's no one else around.* A cruel little smile curled   
across the Gemlord's pretty face as she raised an elegant   
hand up in front of herself, thumb and two fingers raised   
and her ring and little fingers curled down to touch long   
nails against her palm. *How perfect.*  
  
Call it some sort of a danger sense, or just the instinct   
that makes prey aware of a predator nearby, but for whatever   
reason, a frisson of fear shivered through the teenaged   
girl. Large, sapphire blue eyes getting larger as Amy gave a   
soft gasp, she swiftly twisted herself to look behind her.  
  
With a thrust of her hand forward and a strident call --   
"*Zoi*!" -- ringing out through the hall, the Water Warrior   
let loose with a telekinetic blast of air laced with cherry   
blossom petals.  
  
Amy staggered back, arms coming up in a subconscious effort   
to shield her face from the slightly stinging sensation of   
the pink petals. Her frozen mind focused on only a single   
thought: *Zoisite is alive as well!*  
  
Seeing her prey cowering, taken by surprise, the ponytailed   
warrior pressed home her advantage. A graceful step forward,   
coppery-gold hair swirling around pretty face and slender   
shoulders, Zoisite thrust a hand upwards into the air,   
fingers curling into a fist. Once more her voice cried out a   
harsh "Zoi!"; this time the flowery telekinetic blast   
erupted from the floor directly beneath the blue-haired   
girl.  
  
Face still shielded from the first attack, the beleaguered   
teen half-expected a follow-up like that. Having braced   
herself, she grit her teeth and endured the howling,   
cherry-petal-laced tempest around her, a slim hand slipping   
into a pocket in her sky-blue dress. Feeling the familiar,   
comforting presence of her transformation pen, Amy slipped   
it out of her pocket and raised it up. If Zoisite wanted a   
fight, so be it. Sailor Mercury certainly wasn't a wimp!  
  
The glitter of fluorescent light off gold from the girl's   
suddenly raised hand caught Zoisite's attention. "Ah, ah,   
ah, little one. No fair transforming!" Crouching down, a   
predatory leer plastered onto her beautiful visage, the   
slender Gemlord aimed, then leapt powerfully into the air.  
  
"Mercury... *Oh*!"  
  
Landing as light as a cat on her booted feet, Zoisite spun   
elegantly around, long hair and thigh-length cape fanning   
out around her. Mocking laughter echoing in the   
still-deserted hallway, the Water Warrior held up the blue   
and gold pen. "Looking for this, Sailor Mercury? It's mine   
now, and you're not going to get it back."  
  
A grim expression settling on her face, Amy sized up the   
situation. The similarities to the attack on Raye were quite   
obvious; it was probably a safe bet to assume that the goal   
here was something much the same. But this was the far more   
dangerous and unpredictable Zoisite she faced. That alone   
was enough to make her rather scared. *Need to be careful   
here, Amy.* She took a small step backwards. "What do you   
want, Zoisite?"  
  
"Isn't that obvious?" the blonde woman sneered. "I want you,   
Sailor Mercury. Now, you can either come along nice and   
quietly, or we can do this the hard way." A cold smirk   
curled over sensuous lips. *Come on, little Senshi. Just   
give me an excuse to blast you again. It'll be more fun that   
way.*  
  
The blue-haired genius took another step back from the   
slender woman confronting her; it was always more   
comfortable with Zoisite at a bit of a distance. "At least   
tell me why."  
  
"Because you've got something my lord wants, and what he   
wants, he gets. Now, which is it? Nice and peaceful? Or do   
I have to kick your little Terran ass?" Violet-blue eyes   
narrowing slightly underneath long lashes, the Gemlord   
stalked forward slowly, closing the distance between them   
again.  
  
That only made Amy take another step back, sapphire eyes   
glued to the other female as she warily watched the   
otherworldly warrior. *If I can just keep her talking, maybe   
I can hold out long enough for the others to help me, and   
learn a bit of what's going on besides.* "Your lord?"  
  
"Yes. Lord Obsidian, ruler of Lithos-- huh?" A warning flash   
filled the Water Warrior's consciousness, her telempathy   
sensing the presence of another person stepping into range   
of her mental sweep. *Damn! And Lord Obsidian said no   
witnesses or help. No time for finesse.* Gritting her teeth,   
violet-blue eyes suddenly ablaze, Zoisite turned to one of   
her powers rarely used. Even she had scruples, and the use   
of something this manipulative left a bad taste in her   
mouth. Reaching into herself, her body suddenly limned in a   
pale, ultramarine light, Zoisite grabbed the essence of an   
emotion, then mentally flung it at the girl.  
  
*Fear. Utter and complete terror, horror, panic, *fear*!* It   
overwhelmed Amy, swirling around her like an irresistible   
whirlpool of phobia, threatening to pull her in and drown   
her. Abruptly too *frightened* to move or to think, her body   
reacted to the tsunami of emotion in a simple, sanity-saving   
way -- it shut down; sapphire eyes rolling back in their   
sockets, Amy fainted, her breath released in a soft sigh as   
her slim form started to crumple to the floor.  
  
It was precisely the reaction Zoisite had hoped for. Slender   
fingers still clutching the stolen transformation wand, the   
Gemlord darted forward, catching her prey's limp form before   
it could collapse onto the shiny, linoleum floor. She knew   
where she needed to go; locking in that mental picture as   
she shifted her arms to get a better hold on the Senshi's   
dead weight, Zoisite telepathed to Lord Obsidian, **I have   
her. Meet me there at Mariner Castle.**  
  
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, echoing off the lockers.   
"Amy? Amy? Is everything all right?" Serena frowned,   
striding down the school's corridors in a swift gait. She   
could feel that something was wrong, that one of the Senshi   
was in trouble; many times in the past, such sensations had   
allowed the other sailor-suited soldiers of love and justice   
to come to another's aid. Rounding a corner, she suddenly   
stopped short as her blue eyes focused on a flash of blue   
hair, a gleam of coppery-gold hair and a far too familiar   
swirl of little pink petals engulfing both figures. With a   
shout, "*Amy*!" Serena burst into a sprint, hand grabbing   
for her golden compact that held the Imperium Silver   
Crystal, the words of her transformation sequence already on   
the tip of her tongue.  
  
Not enough time. The cherry blossom petals faded away,   
leaving the girl with the twin blond ponytails alone in the   
junior high school hallway, golden compact in hand. "Oh God,   
Amy..." It was all Serena could say, suddenly feeling very   
helpless indeed.  
  
***********************************  
  
The rumble of the Harley's engine was quite the comforting   
purr, the feel of the sleek, chrome-accented machine solid,   
*real*, between the driver's leather-clad thighs. Strong,   
masculine fingers gripped the handlebars, slipping the   
clutch expertly back to engage as he leaned gracefully over   
while rounding a corner. Light glinted off the metallic-red   
paint of the motorcycle, the metallic-red surface of the   
helmet and the deep, wine-red hair that trailed out from   
under the helmet to rest against the driver's   
leather-covered back as he accelerated the thrumming machine   
to streak down the ribbon of city street before him.  
  
Ordinarily he'd not have really noticed the campus of the   
junior high school as he started to drive past it; other   
things were on his mind, things like keeping up with the   
silver-blue Toyota he was following on behalf of a client.   
Already Mr. Yamamoto there had given him the slip twice   
before, but Mrs. Yamamoto was paying quite a bit to make   
sure the dear husband wasn't spending money on foolish   
things like gambling and prostitutes.  
  
The little light blue car zipped through the light; the   
rider of the motorcycle intently watched both it and the   
traffic signal from a good three blocks back, violet eyes   
narrowing slightly as he concentrated on tailing his prey.  
  
*What the--?*  
  
A sensation crossed the Harley's rider's mind, one that was   
both achingly familiar and equally distrusted. Mind numbing   
in shock, unable to believe that what he sensed could be   
real, he whipped his head to the side -- and found himself   
staring at buildings labeled as being Crossroads Junior High   
School.  
  
His mark forgotten for the moment, the leather-clad man   
pulled the machine he was riding over to the side of the   
road. Unfastening the chinstrap, he grabbed the glittering   
helmet with both hands and pulled it off his head. A shake   
of his head sent his thick, wavy mane of gorgeous, wine-red   
hair cascading down to frame his handsome face and fall to   
just between his shoulderblades. Violet-colored eyes --   
alight with intelligence and suspicious wonder both --   
searched over the school grounds, looking for some sort of   
visual conformation to the muted sensation he was still   
getting. Not seeing anything, a frown settled on his lips;   
casting outwards with an ability no human had, he softly   
hissed in a startled breath as his telepathy caught a   
*presence* that shimmered away like evaporating dew.  
  
*Zoisite.*  
  
His frown deepening, the redhead jammed his helmet back onto   
his head, securing the chinstrap firmly. Unsure what to   
think, his emotions a tightly coiled knot in the pit of his   
stomach, the motorcyclist revved the Harley's engine. The   
machine took off in a shot, continuing on in its original   
direction, the rider just not sure what he was going to do.   
All he knew was that Zoisite was apparently alive again.  
  
***********************************  
  
A swirl of warm air scattered a few faded petals from   
someone's garden somewhere, ruffling the dark auburn hair of   
the teenaged boy as he stood before the windows of a local   
gallery. Smiling just a bit, his jade-green eyes scanned   
over the breathtaking photographs put on display within the   
windows.  
  
They were all of the moon: the crescent moon shining over a   
nighttime sea, shimmering reflection dancing on the waves --   
the full moon dramatically pushing through the dark   
silhouettes of tree branches -- the gibbous moon gleaming   
over the shoulder of a mystic-looking model, the features of   
her face and body in the shadows from the silvery light   
shining down behind her -- another photo of the full moon,   
this time a mystical, romantic scene of the silvery orb   
breaking through the storm clouds of a nighttime sky. That   
last one was impressive indeed, considering how hard it can   
be to photograph something in the darkness of night.  
  
*He's done spectacularly well ever since he decided to   
concentrate on the moon,* Nephrite thought to himself, the   
image of Terra's solitary natural satellite staring back at   
him in the photographs almost accusingly. The Gemlord   
trapped in the body of an adolescent Terran softly sighed.   
Would he *ever* be trusted again by those that had once knew   
him as the Negaverse general who had planned his attacks by   
studying the movement of the stars? Discouraged, he had to   
admit that he'd probably never would be completely trusted   
again. *Not that I blame them. I've given everyone plenty of   
reasons to hate me.*  
  
Down the street, about half a block away, Lita stopped short   
as Nathan had halted before the storefront of a local art   
studio and gallery. Stepping up to a telephone pole, the   
ponytailed brunette did her best to keep herself   
inconspicuous as she watched the auburn-haired boy. Her   
tall, athletic body relatively concealed behind the rough,   
dark wooden pole, she leaned over slightly, hoping to get a   
better view. *What on Earth is he doing?*  
  
She didn't have long to wonder on one score. Within moments   
of her thought, the teenaged boy pushed open the door to the   
store and disappeared inside. Her curiosity getting the   
better of her -- as it had been doing ever since the end of   
school -- Lita slipped from her hiding place and swiftly   
traversed the distance between the pole and the front   
entrance of the gallery. Pulling open the door by the   
sturdy, brass handle, she stepped into the room beyond.  
  
It was everything anyone ever expects in a gallery, with   
white-painted walls hung with framed pieces of art --   
paintings, lithographs and photographs all made up the   
collection she could see -- that were spotlighted by track   
lighting to show off the picture to best advantage. Little   
brass labels engraved with the name of the work, the name of   
the artist and the date of the work's completion glimmered   
in the lighting next to each beautifully framed piece.   
Walking over to the nearest picture, her sneaker-clad feet   
making no sound at all on the plush, burgundy-colored carpet   
beneath her, Lita scanned the work of art with her   
emerald-green gaze.  
  
It was a framed photograph featuring the crescent moon   
shining overhead in an evening sky, the orange, dying-ember   
light of the sun reflected off the peaceful stillness of a   
mirrorlike lake. With a start, the brunette girl realized   
that this photograph was taken at sunset at Fairview Park;   
the swans floating in the foreground of the picture, the   
skyline of trees and the city beyond, and the glimpse of   
roses bordering the picture confirmed the location.   
Immediately glancing at the brass label affixed to the wall,   
Lita's eyes grew wide in surprise as she read the words   
engraved there.  
  
"Fairview Moonscape". Artist: Peter Fisher.  
  
*Peter Fisher? Wasn't he the photographer...?* Just as her   
emerald gaze spotted the "sold" sign tacked to the wall just   
under the brass plaque, Lita could hear the voices of two   
males talking.  
  
"I'm really very honored that your uncle thinks so highly of   
my work."  
  
"Of course he does. After all, he's been watching to see how   
you would do ever since he saved you from falling off that   
cliff when you were trying to shoot that sunset."  
  
The ponytailed girl bit back her soft gasp. That second   
voice was Nathan's, and they were coming this way. A swift   
scan of her surrounding area gave no hope of offering her a   
haven from being discovered. Taking a step back, she braced   
herself for trouble as the two that were talking rounded a   
corner to approach where she was located.  
  
The one Nathan was talking to was a slim young man nearly as   
tall as he was, with shaggy, curly auburn hair cut short,   
the sides a lighter, brighter red-brown than the central   
part or where his hair rested against his neck. Clad in blue   
dress slacks, a white dress shirt and sporting an   
aqua-colored tie, the other young man appeared to be the   
quiet, unassuming type. Reaching up to run a hand through   
the dark auburn curls at the back of his head, his brown   
eyes focused on the teen walking next to him, he smiled at   
Nathan in a mildly embarrassed way. "Yeah, I'm really   
grateful for that kind act. And I'm just as grateful for his   
support."  
  
"I came here for something else besides giving you the   
balance of the price of 'Fairview Moonscape'," Nathan   
responded. His attention focused on his subject, the   
teenager had yet to notice Lita standing stiffly before the   
photograph in question.  
  
Large eyes narrowing in suspicion at Nathan's words, Lita   
kept her gaze on the small slips of paper being held in the   
tall boy's hand. Although they appeared to be nothing more   
than a couple of checks, she just knew that things couldn't   
be that innocent where a suspected Negaverse general was   
concerned.  
  
"Oh?" Peter stared at the teenager next to him, surprise   
evident on the photographer's almost bland face. "What else   
are you here for then, if it's not just buying the photo for   
your uncle?"  
  
"Well, as you know, Uncle Maxfield is one of your biggest   
fans," Nephrite began, smiling at the award-winning   
photographer as he felt the tingle of his power   
strengthening, preparing for the transfer. "He asked me to   
make sure to give you this check as well as the check for   
the rest of the photo's price. He wants to ensure that you   
will always be able to create quality works of art, so he's   
giving you a grant of a million dollars so that you can have   
the best equipment possible."  
  
The slightly shorter boy stopped dead in his tracks, a   
priceless expression of shock in his brown eyes. A hand   
coming up to nervously rake slim fingers through his   
two-toned, auburn curls, Peter could only blink in   
astonishment.  
  
A sly grin settled on Nephrite's youthful face. *Now's the   
perfect moment...* Reaching out to extend to the other boy   
the pair of checks, the silvery-green blaze of his normally   
unreachable power filling his awareness, Nephrite   
deliberately aimed to brush his hand against Peter's shirt's   
sleeve.  
  
She just knew Nathan was up to something; she could see it   
in his jade-green eyes. It was just too good to be true,   
Maxfield Stanton willing to not only buy a photo from Peter   
but to just give him a million dollars as well. Catching   
the sly look and watching the athletic boy reach out to   
touch the photographer, Lita launched herself at the two   
with a shout. Whatever he was doing to his former victims,   
this was one victim that would remain free of his tampering.  
  
The sudden, outraged sound startled Nephrite, turning his   
attention away from setting his symbol -- and, consequently,   
away from giving the other boy the blessing of unusual good   
luck the former Negaverse general had anticipated -- onto   
Peter's clothing and focusing instead on the rapidly   
approaching girl. Frozen in pure astonishment, having not   
noticed the ponytailed brunette's presence at all, the   
auburn-haired teen couldn't react before Lita's solid form   
crashed into him.  
  
The stars know everything, and their movement throughout the   
heavens gives each person a unique and special rhythm that   
is all their own. This was a truth in Nephrite's world; it   
was a basic tenant to the powers he possessed as a Gemlord   
from Lithos. Bowled over by the solid form of the angered   
girl, the auburn haired teen instinctively reached out to   
grab at Lita, seeking to keep himself from a hard fall to   
the floor. The moment his hand touched her, however, the   
world seemed to explode in a blinding flash of silver-green   
starlight.  
  
His energy had been directed at a certain person, intending   
to tie that person into the ebb and flow of the entire   
Cosmos. Customized for Peter and his unique psychic   
presence, the power had reacted violently when it had come   
into contact with someone for whom it wasn't intended. All   
three teenagers were roughly blown back by the force of the   
psychic blast.  
  
The curly haired photographer hit the wall hard enough to   
make the framed photograph of Fairview Park slam against the   
wood-paneled surface. His breath knocked out of him with a   
groan, Peter crumpled into a heap of two-toned auburn hair,   
white shirt and brown dress slacks. Lita fell straight   
backwards to the gallery's floor, her unmoving body sliding   
just a bit across the plush carpet from the force of the   
energy exploding almost literally in her face. Nephrite   
himself hit the floor hard; the blow from the back of his   
head hitting the solid surface under the carpet left him   
momentarily stunned.  
  
Groaning, the teenaged astrologer rolled over onto his   
stomach, taking stock of his situation. Head, back and   
shoulders complaining with a dull ache, he guessed that he   
was otherwise all right. Staggering back up to a standing   
position, jade-green eyes frantically looking over his   
immediate surroundings, he felt an overwhelming panic wash   
over himself. Both Peter and Lita were lying there,   
unmoving, appearing much like a pair of broken dolls tossed   
aside by a disinterested owner. *Cosmos, *Cosmos*! I've lost   
any chance I've had at redeeming myself!*  
  
"Hey there! What the hell happened?"  
  
The shout of some nameless, faceless stranger penetrated   
Nephrite's horrified shock. The panic taking control --   
Cosmos knew he faced complete extinction now that this   
*disaster* had taken place -- he bolted, instinct spurring   
him on to flee the site of his shame. Sneaker-clad feet   
pounding on the golden-brown carpeting, strong, youthful   
hands slamming against the glass and brass door at the   
gallery's entrance, the former Negaverse general shoved the   
door open and burst through the entryway to sprint down the   
street beyond.  
  
He ran, mindlessly, silently, long legs eating up the   
distance along the pavement, green eyes barely focusing on   
the gray concrete before him as he ran. Even after his   
now-mortal body began to complain -- his heart pounding in   
his chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps, the low burn   
of overworked muscles threatening to cramp making his arms   
and legs ache -- he kept running, driven by the horrified   
knowledge that he had utterly and completely blown his   
second chance. He didn't stop until, while taking a corner   
around some unremarkable office building, something very   
solid indeed forced him to stop. Too panicked to be aware of   
his surroundings, Nephrite slammed into another person   
rounding the corner from the other direction.  
  
As Nephrite staggered back from the impact, an arm shot   
forward, the woman -- definitely a woman, from what he could   
see as he found himself staring at a creamy silk blouse   
shimmering over emphatically female curves -- letting out a   
soft, startled sound. Tall, her height about six foot even,   
her chest was right at eye level for the auburn haired boy;   
she wore a black jacket left open in the slightly cool, late   
spring weather, and Nephrite's startled gaze remained on her   
attractively feminine bosom for a moment. Gathering together   
enough sense of presence to start muttering a hasty apology,   
he flicked his gaze up to look into her face... and froze.  
  
*Cosmos, her eyes.*  
  
Antique gold in color, as vivid and mysterious as those of a   
dragon, they stared back at him in slight annoyance,   
well-set in a strikingly beautiful face. Rich, deep red   
hair, like darkly gleaming embers, framed her face and   
cascaded in a fall of long waves to shimmer against   
shoulders and back. Though she appeared to be in her   
mid-twenties, quite the young but mature and confident   
Terran woman, there was something inhuman about her as well   
-- an indefinable *something* that tugged at his awareness.  
  
And in that one sharp moment, the expression of mild   
annoyance made a memory come to mind.  
  
***********************************  
  
From the past: "I told you--hell, the *queen* told you--I   
work *with* you, not for you. I'm hired help, sir--" the   
honorific was edged with cool sarcasm -- "and that means   
that I'm free to pack it up and leave at any moment. So,   
either you accept it and play it my way, or you get to   
explain to her High and Mightiness how you managed to cost   
her a hell of a valuable ally such as myself." The tall,   
very physically fit and alluring woman stares back at   
General Nephrite, a defiant, coolly confident look on her   
beautiful face. Dressed all in a sheath of black leather   
that hugs her body in the most tantalizing of ways -- save   
for the loose white blouse that covers her upper torso where   
her leather bodice does not -- she calmly stands before the   
gray uniformed general.  
  
An even more irritated look settles on the auburn haired   
Negaverse officer's face as he walks over to his desk and   
drops into the impressive chair. "Fine. You know as well as   
I that all of us here in the Negaverse need to please the   
queen. I concede partnership to you."  
  
A look of smug triumph shines in the woman's antique gold   
eyes, but only for a moment. She quickly schools her   
expression into an appropriately detached and emotionless   
one.  
  
"However..." He growls the word at her, attempting to catch   
her undivided attention. Seeing that he has it -- albeit   
with a raised eyebrow and a faint smirk of amusement at the   
hint of pique in his tone -- his jade-green eyes narrow at   
her as he steeples his fingers together and taps lightly on   
his expressive lips with the white fabric of his gloves. "As   
my partner, I will have higher expectations out of you. You   
*will* meet them, or you will be reassigned. I do not give   
second chances."  
  
"You'll get your queen's money's worth out of me," the   
redheaded woman vows, an odd light in her golden eyes. Seems   
as if his threat to send her elsewhere bothers her.  
  
A cold smile crosses Nephrite's handsome  
face. "Good. Now, my first expectation out of you is this:   
As you may know, we generals vie for power and glory among   
ourselves. The best asset I could use is someone that will   
make sure that my power and influence never decreases, but   
only increases."  
  
She moves, her body sleek and graceful beneath the black   
leather, stopping to position herself between the general   
and his big, sturdy, hardwood desk. Leaning her firm   
buttocks against the edge of the wooden piece of furniture   
behind her, she nods, the dark fire of her hair glimmering.   
"Just trust me. You'll have no regrets where I'm concerned.   
As long as I'm in your service, none of the others will be   
able to snatch away what power you have."  
  
"I like that in a woman," Nephrite replies, gazing up at the   
enchanting mercenary pressed between his knees and his desk.   
"Confident, beautiful and deadly. Quite the potent   
combination."  
  
A sly, almost hungry grin curls across her lips as her   
golden eyes half-close beneath dark cinnamon colored lashes,   
glinting in near-challenge."And I like a man who knows what   
he wants and is strong enough to take it."  
  
***********************************  
  
*But she's dead! They told me she was *dead*.* Face draining   
of all color, the teenaged boy continued to stare at the   
stunningly gorgeous woman. He remembered that day, the youma   
stepping into his office in the heart of the Negaverse,   
telling him that she had been fatally injured in an ambush.   
He hadn't believed it then, but as time had gone on and   
there had been no word, no sign of her, he had finally lost   
hope.  
  
Those smoky-gold eyes widened as she stared back down into   
the kid's jade-green eyes. The play of emotions there was   
absolutely fascinating as her slight annoyance rapidly   
changed to first startlement, then to recognition, shocked   
disbelief and a sudden, almost fearful hope.  
  
For another seemingly timeless instant, they remained still,   
the woman's arm remaining curved around him in a loose   
embrace as they stared at one another on that streetcorner.   
Then someone crashed into the tall woman from behind; her   
body barely shuddering with the impact, she turned to face   
whomever it was that was so damned careless, her temper   
clearly sparked. Her arm slipped away from his youthful,   
athletic body, the deep red hair brushing against his cheek   
in a silken caress from the momentum of her turning.  
  
The fact that she had barely moved with the force of the   
collision only confirmed her identity to the already   
stressed teenager. He realized, belatedly, that she had   
indeed seemed too solid, even for her obviously physically   
fit body, when he had crashed into her. Mind still too   
stunned to think, he impulsively reached out to touch the   
shimmering waves of deep, dark fire; a single strand curled   
around his fingers as the rest of the mass settled against   
her back, almost reluctant to turn him loose now that it had   
found itself holding him. Unable to face her, not now, not   
after having destroyed any hope he had had at making this   
second chance work, he took the opportunity her angered   
distraction had made to flee her presence. Taking a couple   
of swift steps back, he spun on a heel and ran once more,   
plunging headfirst into the sea of humanity surrounding the   
two of them.  
  
He ran, swift as the wind, for another few, long minutes.   
When he finally stopped, his body pushed beyond all limits   
of endurance, he collapsed to the grassy ground next to the   
sidewalk and lay there, gasping in jagged breaths, mind   
reeling. Despite his fear and horror at possibly having   
killed Lita and Peter, he could only focus on a single   
thing.  
  
*Alive. Siolan's alive!*  
  
It couldn't be anyone else. He had known her so well; only   
those of his own race did he know better. He knew, in his   
very soul, that there could never be another quite like her,   
that the Cosmos could never duplicate that exact shade of   
dark red hair, those dragon-gold eyes, her uncanny grace   
wedded to a physical denseness that made her very solid   
indeed. As he lay there and struggled to recover from   
pushing his fragile mortal body so hard, the solitary strand   
of dark red silk continued to cling to his hand.  
  
***********************************  
  
The sleek, athletic warrioress known to Nephrite as Siolan   
wandered down the crowded streets of the city in a daze,   
stunned almost beyond belief by what she had just witnessed   
in that chance encounter. Damn it all to hell, the boy had   
slipped away as she had glared at the immediately apologetic   
man that had rammed into her. The fact that she was big,   
mean-looking and appeared irritated enough to pick him up   
and snap him in two had convinced the expensively-suited   
businessman to offer a stammered apology and scurry off.   
Even that short amount of time had been enough to allow the   
auburn haired boy to fade into nothingness, like a teasing   
dream.  
  
*But how? How in the name of all that's holy could he be   
alive, seemingly turned into a -- a child? I watched him   
die!*  
  
Her mind dwelling on her thoughts, it was the force of sheer   
habit that guided her steps -- slow and faltering as they   
were -- toward her rented apartment. The dragon-gold eyes   
wide and unfocused, she could see things in her memory as if   
they had happened only yesterday.  
  
***********************************  
  
The past, just over a year ago: The park is somber and   
deathly quiet in the stillness of the night, save for the   
agonized sobbing of a young teen clutching at a fading body   
lying on the ground and propped upon her lap as she kneels   
there. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury watch in   
sad sympathy while Molly screams her despair into the night,   
the battered and bloodied form of the Negaverse general   
twinkling away in a display of scintillating starlight.  
  
Behind a nearby tree, a shadowy form tears  
er gaze from the heartrending sight, the keening of the   
pajama-clad girl only echoing the one that wells up within   
the observer's soul. Light glimmers off a tear as it falls   
over the pale cheek of the redheaded female. Defeat etched   
in every line of her tall, athletic form, Siolan bows her   
head, the metal claws arching over her fingers from the   
skeletal gauntlets that adorn her hands sinking deeply into   
the tree against which she is pressing her backside.  
  
***********************************  
  
Another past scene, nearly a thousand years back: The sound   
of bootsteps echoes in the rocky confines of the Negaverse   
corridor as Siolan's tall, magnificent form stalks along the   
passageway. Her strides long and swift, an irritated   
expression on her lovely face, her softly muttered words are   
meant for herself alone. "Damn it, I'm going to be late to   
the throne room. Serves that witch Beryl right, summoning me   
and then neglecting to provide a guide around this place."   
As she walks down the tunnel, her flaming hair -- swept back   
from her face and secured at the nape of her neck by a   
leather thong -- dances and sways around her shoulders and   
down her back, echoing the sway of the ends of the golden   
sash tied around her slender waist, the material brushing   
against the black leather leggings of her bodysuit. "Let   
Beryl rant and rave all she wants at my tardiness," she adds   
under her breath, a smug smile appearing on her face. "She   
knows how damned valuable I am, and I'm certainly not one of   
her brainless, gutless little servants to bow and scrape at   
her feet."  
  
She puts her foot down to transfer her weight for another   
step just as another figure strides out in front of her from   
a side passage; abruptly, without warning, her boot slips   
out from under her. Taken by surprise, Siolan falls forward,   
only to crash up against the other person, a sharp gasp   
escaping her with the rather solid collision. Acting on   
instinct, the gray-uniformed, auburn haired man swiftly   
raises an arm and catches her, helping her maintain her   
balance. Looking up, the dragon-gold eyes stare in what   
appears to be blank amazement at the man, her leather-gloved   
hands spreading out over his chest.  
  
General Nephrite stares back at her, the usual scowl on his   
face replaced by an expression of mild surprise, jade-green   
eyes meeting her gaze. His hand remains on her shoulder,   
still holding onto her.  
  
Siolan's gaze shifts down to look at her hands resting on   
the gray fabric of Nephrite's uniform. The amazement on her   
face swiftly changes to haughty disdain; she slowly,   
seemingly reluctantly, straightens herself. "Your pardon,   
sir. Don't know *what* just happened here. Skidded on some   
broken stone and lost my balance, I guess." Her fluid,   
melodic voice has quite the cool tone to it.  
  
The auburn haired general remains silent, his expression   
becoming a stormy scowl once more. Clearly feeling offended,   
he glares at her, apparently weighing the consequences of   
letting her know his displeasure in no uncertain terms. Then   
he lets loose with an aggravated sigh, shakes his head   
slightly and storms past her, auburn hair shimmering darkly   
in the muted light of the passageway.  
  
Siolan turns and watches him go, that look of faintly   
stunned amazement settling back onto her features.  
  
***********************************  
  
Still slowly making her way along the streets to her   
apartment, the redheaded mercenary continued to muse on the   
past dragged up by her chance encounter. She had made it, at   
last, to the Throne Room, only to discover there that the   
man she had literally run into was General Nephrite; perhaps   
the powers that be had a sense of humor, for her scheduled   
meeting was to inform her of Queen Beryl's decision to   
assign Siolan to Nephrite's command. However, the redhead   
had swiftly made it clear to the drop-dead gorgeous general   
that she worked with him as an equal partner, not a   
subordinate, and the two of them had come to a mutually   
satisfactory agreement.  
  
Nor had it taken them very long at all to give in to the   
tempestuous attraction they'd felt for one another despite   
both of them trying to deny it at first. They had first   
become partners; engaging Siolan in the behind-the-scenes   
power struggle that went on between Beryl's generals had   
been a masterstroke on the stargazing general's part, since   
Siolan herself had no qualms about getting her hands dirty.   
More than once, there had been physical confrontations   
between "Nephrite's weapon" and the other renegade   
Gemlords--confrontations that the mercenary had nearly   
always had won. Then they had become lovers, if the   
near-desperate, hungry, grasping dance of dominance and   
submission they'd had together in bed could qualify them for   
the title. For five hundred years, they were together in the   
grim darkness of the Negaverse, each one being the other's   
source of light, warmth, comfort, *life*, there in that   
dread realm. Never once did they use the word "love" to   
describe what they felt; in Metallia's shadow, love was too   
often an illusion, yet they had both known in their hearts   
what it was they had had between them.  
  
Beryl had brought an end to it all. As she staggered to a   
momentary stop, her glove-encased hand clenching into a   
tight fist, the woman once known as Siolan turned her   
thoughts to that time. The dark queen had decided that all   
were to swear undying loyalty to her and the empress that   
she served, including Siolan. The mercenary had other   
thoughts in mind; if *anyone* could have commanded her true   
loyalty, it would have been the auburn haired man she'd come   
to care for more than anything else, not the red-haired   
witch that ruled by Metallia's will. Siolan had refused to   
swear her allegiance, and Beryl had tried to kill her.  
  
The energy blast had nearly done its job; injured and   
hunted, the mercenary had barely made it out of the   
Negaverse alive. Though there were many probability lines   
still open to the dread realm watched over by Empress   
Metallia, Siolan carried with her the secret knowledge of a   
way to move past the seal the Imperium Silver Crystal had   
set around other probability lines. Knowing that she would   
be as safe as can be expected slipping off to one of the   
existences banned to the Negaverse by Queen Serenity, she   
had passed through the shimmering silver barrier to the   
small planet called Earth, or Terra, and had slowly   
recovered her health.  
  
She had tried a number of times after that to return just   
long enough to let her lover know that she still lived...   
but it was all for nothing. Beryl had set too many traps for   
her, knowing just how clever the mercenary could be; more   
than once, the warrioress had been wounded within an inch of   
her life and had been forced to retreat to heal her wounds.   
She still bore a twisted scar that ran along her sternum   
from a slash that had come very close indeed to killing her.  
  
Then the sealing of the Silver Crystal had shattered. A   
flame of hope had arisen from the bitter ashes of loss   
within her soul, only to be brutally snuffed again when she   
had watched him die at the hands of General Zoisite's youma.   
Gods, she had wanted so badly to go to him then, to touch   
him, look into those fascinating, jade-green eyes, kiss him   
just one last time...  
  
But it was simply too late. Forever, too late.  
  
All she could do was stand there and watch the life fade   
from him, a hysterical little Terran girl kneeling there   
where she should have been; she, the mercenary and assassin,   
the near immortal with the ancient blood of dragons in her   
veins, had silently wept that bleak night for the man she   
had loved and had lost, permanently...  
  
Apparently it was not so permanently at all. Impossible as   
it might be, that boy, that frightened teenager, that had   
plowed into her just had to be none other than Nephrite. A   
shake of her head sent the dark flame silk of her hair to   
shimmering around her; her sleek form once more started   
striding down the sidewalk, her body showing her sudden   
determination and hesitantly expressed joy.  
  
She didn't know just how she knew, or why she was so   
certain, that the child was Nephrite. What filled her was an   
impulse, a *knowing* deep in her soul that made her able to   
look past even the familiar-seeming auburn hair and green   
eyes to the spirit within -- and there she could see the man   
that she had loved.  
  
The man that she still loved.  
  
The man that she would *always* love.  
  
The dragon-gold eyes looked up onto the heart of the setting   
sun for a moment as she continued her easy, graceful gait.   
Her voice sounding in that startling, distinctively fluid   
and melodic cadence it always had, she whispered a vow to   
herself and to the boy her lover had apparently become.   
"I'll find you again, Nephrite. And this time, I swear, I'll   
never let you go..."  
  
***********************************  
  
Footsteps echoed softly in the marble hallway, disturbing   
the layer of gritty dust that dulled the polish of the   
white-veined blue stone. The air was still and otherwise   
silent, though there was a subtle sensation of rippling flow   
perceivable by the two people that walked along the   
marble-lined corridor. Dark hair and gold-trimmed ebony   
cape gently flowing behind him in the wake of his   
confident,relaxed stride, Obsidian quietly lead the way into   
the heart of the azure-themed castle.  
  
Behind the Lord of Lithos, a slender, graceful form kept   
pace with the taller Gemlord, her dainty steps barely heard   
in the echoes. Struggling along as best she could with the   
dead weight of the unconscious form of the blue-haired   
Terran girl in her arms, Zoisite had a rather miffed   
expression on her pretty face. The damned Senshi was getting   
*heavy*.  
  
"Ah, here we are," Obsidian murmured to himself, deep brown   
eyes focusing on an impressive doorway at the end of the   
corridor. A smile settling on his face, the dark lord   
stopped before the closed entry and looked it over.  
  
Silver glittered back at him, sparkling from the surface of   
the scenes cast in high relief. The theme on this set of   
double doors was that of the pursuit of knowledge; around   
the large, central glyph of Mercury, figures were seated at   
computers, read books, wrote at desks, held lively   
discussions and listened to lectures.  
  
"Now for Her Highness." With a graceful turn, Obsidian   
glanced back over his shoulder to flick his ebony gaze at   
Zoisite and her unmoving burden.  
  
The blond warrior nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Ever   
since her teleport here to Mariner Castle, she had been   
keeping her prisoner unconscious through sheer force of   
will, her telepathic ability interfering with the Terran's   
normal brain functioning. Relaxing her mental hold, Zoisite   
seamlessly transferred control of the teenager to the   
Guardian of Space.  
  
The smile on Obsidian's face grew a bit wider, but certainly   
not warmer. If anything, it seemed too *perfect* to be a   
real smile, one of those plastered on to placate others. His   
low baritone still a soft murmur in the hushed confines of   
the marble-chased corridor, the dark lord focused on   
bringing the Senshi around. "Come, Highness. I have need of   
you at the moment."  
  
A soft groan sounded from the blue-haired girl; the limp   
body held against Zoisite's small-breasted torso faintly   
stirred. Seeing that she was coming around, the Western   
Commander braced herself and began to lower her burden to   
the ground.  
  
*Where am I? What's happened?* Amy slowly opened her   
sapphire eyes; sensing that she was being lowered despite   
the muzzy, oddly confused sensations that filled her mind,   
the girl genius dropped her legs down under herself. As her   
feet touched solid ground, the apparent arms around her let   
her go. Standing, bearing her own weight, Amy found herself   
staring at the dark stranger that had seemingly been   
ordering Kunzite around. *He seems... strangely familiar,   
somehow.* Large eyes blinking, a confused look in their   
azure depths, Amy tried fighting off the unusual sensations,   
but to no avail. Caught in that dreamlike state, she could   
only stare, blinking, at the tall, ebony-clad man.  
  
Then she felt slender fingers pressing something into her   
hand. Glancing down, the intellectually gifted girl saw a   
well-manicured, feminine hand curl her own fingers around a   
blue-handled pen sporting a gold cap topped with an azure   
sphere. *Transformation pen,* she muzzily thought as a warm   
tingle flowed through and around her like a wind-kissed,   
summer rain. *Should... transform...*  
  
Closing sapphire eyes, Amy tried to get her distant-seeming   
body to respond to her mental commands, to raise the pen up   
into the air and shout her transformational phrase.  
  
All to no avail. The teenager found herself unable to do so   
-- helpless, immobile -- as she sensed the stranger's   
obsidian eyes -- *Obsidian? Didn't Zoisite mention a "Lord   
Obsidian"?* -- boring into her.  
  
"Come now, Highness. Such a simple request, and I promise to   
return you to your friends afterwards." The voice of the   
Guardian of Space was a gentle murmur, far more warm and   
endearing than the almost obviously fake pleasantness   
plastered onto his face.  
  
Against her will, the azure haired girl felt herself   
changing as the humid, airy power of her patron planet --   
now magnified into something more stately, more regal --   
heeded the dark stranger's gentle call. Caressing her,   
filling her soul and swirling around her, the power of   
Mercury caused the teenager's body to glow with an aqua   
light as she grew taller and more mature. Then the light   
faded away, leaving the marble-chased hallway wreathed in   
dim light and shadow once more.  
  
Clad in a shimmering, silvery-blue gown, the dark glitter of   
sapphires accenting the graceful column of her throat, the   
shape of her ears and the feathered layers of her short   
hair, Princess Mercury was a gentle, elegant sight to   
behold. The light of intelligence that usually shown deep   
within her large eyes replaced for the moment by the glaze   
of a trancelike daze, she slowly turned to face the   
intricately-carved silver doors.  
  
Behind her and slightly to the left, Zoisite watched in   
silence as the royal woman muzzily looked at first the   
symbol of Mercury in the center of the double doors then at   
the blue and gold transformation pen gripped loosely in a   
hand. Beneath long, spun-gold lashes, the Water Warrior's   
violet-blue eyes narrowed slightly.  
  
*All I really need is a friend. Would you at least be that?*  
  
Zoisite frowned, absently raising a hand to her sensuous   
lips, the voice from the past whispering in her mind. An odd   
tingle running down her spine as the spark of memory sent   
ripples through the still waters of her consciousness, the   
glamorous Gemlord nervously nibbled at a well-manicured   
fingernail as the ripples resolved into a memory.  
  
***********************************  
  
From just over a thousand years ago: Dressed in a gauzy,   
aqua-colored gown that shows her feminine curves to   
advantage, Princess Mercury stands in a doorway, her back to   
the grand ballroom and facing out towards the balcony that   
runs along the exterior of the Moon Palace. Backlit from the   
illumination of the ballroom, the happy and boisterous   
sounds of a celebration swirling in the still night air, the   
princess gazes at a single, solitary, slender form that   
leans against the white marble railing. Facing away from   
her, all that can be seen of the other person in the shadows   
of the lunar night is white cloth and the queue of wavy,   
copper-gold hair that rests against the other figure's back.  
  
"I thought I might find you out here. Are... you all right?"   
The concern in Princess Mercury's voice easily matches the   
worry that marrs the sweet expression on her face.  
  
"Yes, Your Highness. I'm as fine as can be expected." The   
voice that answers her is a soft, sweet, melodic tenor, one   
that seems well suited for singing.  
  
"Commander Zoisite, please, don't be angry. You're a great   
person -- sweet, kind, talented -- but I just don't have   
either the time or the inclination right now for anything--"  
  
"That's not it, Your Highness," the other person interrupts,   
pushing up from the railing and slowly turning around.   
Violet-blue eyes, large and innocent-appearing, glance over   
the short-haired princess from beneath long lashes, the   
pretty but noticeably masculine features set in a resigned   
smile.  
  
Princess Mercury appears slightly confused now, as well as   
concerned. "But if that's not why you've decided to stand   
out here, alone in the dark, then what is?"  
  
Zoisite steps forward, reaching down to take one of the   
woman's hands in his own slender grasp. "I swear to the   
Cosmos that it has nothing to do with you, Your Highness.   
I've done nothing but enjoy your company."  
  
The azure-clad woman looks first at where their hands are   
linked, then up into Zoisite's beautiful, masculine face.   
"Are you sure, Commander?"  
  
He chuckles, a soft and very amused sound. "Of course I'm   
sure. I've known all along that you really weren't   
interested in me like *that*. It's all right. I understand.   
Still, we have had some nice times together."  
  
Interlacing her fingers with his, Princess Mercury smiles at   
him warmly. "Thank you, Zoisite. Because I am so busy with   
my studies and my duties, however, I do get lonely at times.   
All I really need is a friend. Would you at least be that?"  
  
The white-uniformed Gemlord smiles enchantingly in return,   
leaning forward long enough to affectionately kiss the   
princess on the cheek. "Of course, dear Mercury. I'll always   
be your friend. I swear it."  
  
***********************************  
  
*Cosmos...* Zoisite softly hissed in a breath in shock as   
the memory faded, her large eyes getting wider as she stared   
at the entranced woman before her. Guilt washing over her,   
the Western Commander tore her gaze from Princess Mercury to   
stare at the dark ruler of Lithos.  
  
"That's it, dear princess," Obsidian softly crooned,   
watching as the regal figure raised the transformation pen   
and touched the center of the circle of the Mercury symbol   
on the silver doors with the azure sphere. "Just open the   
doors to me and then you can go home."  
  
The words came to her, unbidden, instantly known; Princess   
Mercury's soft voice sounded in the dimly-lit corridor,   
making the sensation of dormant power start to stir. "By   
the power and in the name of Mercury, I ask that you open to   
me, your mistress. Allow me passage to the Blessed Fountain   
beyond."  
  
At her words, aqua light gleamed within the azure sphere of   
the transformation pen, forming the glyph of Mercury in its   
depths and setting in motion a chain reaction. The Mercury   
symbol on the silver doorway flared to life, illuminating   
the princess and the pair of Gemlords standing behind her.   
Then the impressive doors slid apart, revealing the chamber   
at the heart of Mariner Castle.  
  
Plain, sophisticated in its simplicity, the chamber was   
completely covered in the same white-veined blue marble of   
the hallway, its surface polished to an unearthly,   
nearly-reflective shine. The sound of running water greeted   
the trio as Obsidian and Zoisite silently followed the   
azure-haired woman into the room. The very atmosphere was   
filled with the presence of energy, a shifting, flowing   
sensation that made even the air within seem to dance and   
shimmer with a silvery-blue light.  
  
Sapphire eyes continuing to reflect her inner, dream-like   
state, the part of Princess Mercury that was still Amy   
remained struggling against the mental control even as her   
body walked up to the edge of the marble dais in the middle   
of the room. There she stopped, waiting.  
  
Zoisite's large-eyed gaze locked upon the center of the   
chamber, her sensual voice purring gently as she   
unconsciously reveled in the scintillating feel of the power   
that filled the area. The Fountain was three-tiered and   
triangular, seemingly molded from the very marble of the   
dais. Silvery water bubbled up in the middle of the   
uppermost tier, spilling down to the center level and then   
down to the large pool at the bottom, making a soft sound   
that was almost musical. "Stunning," the Water Warrior   
whispered to herself, her gaze remaining upon the magical   
fountain in fascination.  
  
"Indeed," Obsidian responded while his black-clad form   
strode up to stand just behind the short-haired female in   
the blue-and-silver royal gown. "The Sapphire, please,   
Commander."  
  
Looking over at the dark lord, Zoisite blinked in surprise,   
then smiled brightly at Obsidian's acknowledgment of her   
rank. Pleased that her lord actually referred to her by   
title, she elegantly nodded, her copper-gold ponytail   
bobbing with the movement. Stepping up onto the dais and   
pressing her legs against the side of the triangular pool at   
the base of the Fountain, Zoisite reached up to the   
uppermost level.  
  
While her slender fingers slipped into the bubbling liquid,   
the Western Commander shivered in pure delight; the energy   
here that swirled through and around her was from the same   
source as her own, the Element of Water, and she found it   
comforting, invigorating, wonderful.  
  
Obsidian watched the young Gemlord carefully, intently,   
happy that yet another part of his overall plan was being   
accomplished. A smile of delight crossed his very handsome   
face as he heard Zoisite give a soft purr of triumph, his   
dark eyes lighting up in satisfaction when the Water   
Warrior's hand emerged from the Fountain, holding a   
gleaming, dark blue jewel.  
  
Princess Mercury blinked once, the glassy expression in her   
eyes clearing slightly. The part of her that was Amy could   
feel the fog lift a bit; apparently the dark-haired man's   
attention to her was slipping, concentrating instead on the   
retrieval of that mysterious gem from the Blessed Fountain.  
  
Her beautiful face lit up in joy at accomplishing her task,   
the Water Warrior gracefully twisted her lithe body and held   
the deep blue stone out to her lord.  
  
"Thank you, Commander," Obsidian replied, his tone of voice   
indicating that he was very pleased with her work so far.   
"Now, drain the Fountain."  
  
"What?" In an instant, Zoisite's expression shifted from   
triumph to pure confusion, then mild horror. To do that   
would mean unbalancing a large part of her own Element here   
in this star system, to cause her own sense of balance and   
order to be disrupted. It would be the equivalent of having   
a constantly aggravated wound within her own soul.  
  
"You heard me, Commander. Drain the Fountain."  
  
In front of Obsidian, Princess Mercury blinked again,   
Zoisite's own horror mirrored on the pretty, royal female's   
face. Doing that would completely disrupt the delicate focus   
of her patron's power; she had already seen the results in   
what had happened to Raye. She couldn't allow that to   
happen; it was her duty as the Senshi of Mercury to protect   
this place, to preserve the sanctity of the core of her   
patron's energy.  
  
"My lord, please. Don't make me do this. It'll make my own   
powers less effective; I won't be able to serve you as well   
or as efficiently," Zoisite pleaded, violet-blue eyes   
remaining focused on Obsidian's stone-cold face.  
  
"It's only temporary, Commander. I swear on the shattered   
remains of Lithos that once I have achieved what I wish, we   
shall return here and restore the Fountain." The dark lord's   
words sounded so reasonable, so logical. "This way, the   
Senshi cannot interfere with our ultimate goal, and Order   
will be restored afterwards."  
  
The slender, youngest Gemlord gave her lord a skeptical   
look. Though everything within her wanted to trust the man   
that had ruled the Gemlords ever since their creation, this   
didn't seem quite *right*, didn't seem like something he'd   
normally do. *Still, it's not every day that he's trying to   
restore a shattered planet and slaughtered people. Perhaps   
this *is* the only way...* Closing her eyes, she held out   
her hands toward the Fountain, beginning to open her mind   
and soul to the Element under her command. Her sensual voice   
barely above a whisper, she sought to allay one last fear.   
"What if this causes me to fail you, my lord? Will you still   
punish Lord Kunzite for a shortcoming of mine caused by my   
own powers being hampered by this?"  
  
Obsidian stepped away from the unmoving princess and up to   
the other Gemlord. Running a hand along her shoulder, he   
leaned forward and murmured right next to Zoisite's   
earring-adorned ear. "I promise I shall not punish you for a   
failure that happens because your Element is out of balance.   
I truly am not that unreasonable a ruler, now am I?"  
  
"N... no, my lord. You never have been that..." She shivered   
at his touch, finding the courage and conviction to go   
through with the order. As the tall, black-clad Gemlord took   
a step back, Zoisite began to concentrate, her slim form   
starting to glow with an ultramarine light.  
  
As the Fountain began to shake, the shimmering liquid within   
it dancing, Amy found herself able to move even through the   
dream-like haze. Hand tightening around the transformation   
pen, Princess Mercury slowly lifted her hand up, even as she   
sensed the focus of her power beginning to shift. With   
Zoisite focused on disrupting the Fountain and Obsidian's   
attention on seeing that his order was carried out, neither   
Gemlord noticed the glimmer of the transformation pen as it   
was held aloft. Though it took every shred of her intellect   
and will, the blue-gowned woman was able to whisper out the   
magic words, "Mercury... Power..."  
  
The Fountain suddenly bubbled into life, radiating aqua   
light that made the entire chamber seem to come alive with   
blazing energy. Obsidian growled and held up a hand,   
shielding his eyes from the unexpected, bright radiance, his   
senses momentarily overwhelmed by the activation of the   
powers of the planet Mercury. Crying out, Zoisite dropped to   
her knees, her concentration shattered under the abrupt   
assault of the Fountain as it fought back against her   
tampering.  
  
Ribbons of aqua energy erupted from the transformation pen   
as the glyph of Mercury spun within the azure globe's   
depths. Wrapping around the suddenly nude princess, her body   
silhouetted in the sparkling blue and silver energy as she   
rotated in a complete circle, they solidified piece by piece   
into the white and blue sailor-like uniform of the Soldier   
of Mercury.  
  
Before either Gemlord could react to the sudden threat of   
Sailor Mercury there in their midsts, the Senshi of Water   
let loose with her attack, hoping to further confuse her   
opponents and take advantage of their surprise. "Mercury   
Bubbles... *Blast*!"  
  
Spinning around in a full circle, Sailor Mercury flung out   
her gloved hands to either side, causing the sphere of   
aquamarine radiance to explode into a high-velocity spray of   
bubbles. Bursting open, the bubbles filled the entire area   
with a thick fog, the atmosphere plummeting to a temperature   
just above freezing.  
  
Swearing under her breath, Zoisite stumbled forward, hands   
reaching out into the blinding mist in order to find the   
Fountain once again. Despite the little set-back of being   
essentially robbed of her sight, she was determined not to   
disappoint her ruler.  
  
Guided both by her innate ability to see targets in the fog   
of her own creation as well as the sound of the ponytailed   
woman's strident voice, the blue-skirted Senshi darted   
forward, sweeping a slim foot out to kick Zoisite's booted   
feet out from under her. Letting loose with a startled yelp,   
caught off guard and unable to recover her balance, the   
young Gemlord hit the marble-covered floor hard. Winded,   
gasping for breath, Zoisite laid there as Sailor Mercury   
took up a protective stance before the fog-enshrouded   
Fountain. "As long as I'm standing, you're not touching the   
sacred waters of Planet Mercury," she challenged, sapphire   
eyes focused on the gleaming star of dark green that marked   
Lord Obsidian's position in the mist.  
  
"Foolish girl. I didn't want it to come to this," the dark   
lord answered, deep brown gaze peering through the thick,   
blinding cloud. "However . . . Vortex Mirror! Show me where   
the Senshi of Mercury stands!" At Obsidian's sharp call, a   
gleaming symbol appeared, lighting the way like a beacon.   
The mystic Symbol of Space still locked in on the Sailor   
Senshi, it showed for its master once again the blue-hued,   
astrological glyph; following that lead, Obsidian dashed   
forward.  
  
The azure-skirted soldier gasped in surprise as the tall,   
dark figure abruptly loomed out of the fog right in front of   
her. "Now, step aside and be good, Sailor Mercury. It's not   
like you can really stop me." The Lord of Lithos then gave   
the brave but frightened girl a cold smile.  
  
Tilting her head in defiance, even though a frisson of fear   
ran down her spine, Sailor Mercury replied, "No."  
  
Obsidian's smile faded, followed by a callous shrug. "As you   
wish." Raising his right hand, he stretched it out to his   
left, preparing to backhand the azure-haired Senshi away   
from the Fountain.  
  
Ducking her head, the sailor-suited soldier braced herself   
for the stinging blow to come, white-gloved hands rising up   
to shield her face. Just as the Guardian of Space's slap was   
about to be delivered, a violet-blue and copper-gold blur   
appeared. "No! Don't!"  
  
Startled, both Sailor Mercury and Lord Obsidian stared,   
thunderstruck, at Zoisite. Her slender fingers curled around   
her ruler's upraised wrist, her slim, androgynous body   
wedged between the two, she gazed straight at the angered   
face of her lord. As the intellectual Senshi looked on in   
astonishment, the dark lord growled, "What in the name of   
the Cosmos are you *doing*, Commander? You dare defy me?"  
  
"No, my lord, but please! Think! We have the Sapphire you   
wanted, and all we need to do now is drain the Fountain.   
Hitting her won't accomplish anything save make her just   
that much more determined. Surely you have the power to just   
render her unconscious?"  
  
Obsidian's frown deepened into a scowl. With a growl of   
frustration, he shook off Zoisite's hold on his arm, then   
shoved the Water Warrior off to the side. As the ponytailed   
woman stumbled and fell to her knees, he stared once again   
at Sailor Mercury, who had resumed her protective pose   
before the Blessed Fountain. A quick gesture to focus his   
telepathic power, then a thrust of his hand at the   
blue-skirted soldier launched a mental assault upon the   
teenaged warrior. Exerting his will over her nearly   
indomitable mind, Obsidian sought to drive Sailor Mercury   
back into the shadowed depths of unconsciousness.  
  
Groaning with the effort, her body curled up defensively in   
reaction to the hard-fought battle of wills, the   
azure-haired, sailor-suited warrior gave everything she had   
into the effort to fight back. The fog from the Bubbles   
Blast beginning to dissipate, Zoisite lifted her head and   
gazed at the two -- Senshi and Gemlord -- locked in the   
titanic struggle, then slowly rose to her feet and walked   
toward the Fountain.  
  
Despite her valiant effort, the dark stranger's power proved   
to be too much. Her consciousness slipping away under   
Obsidian's relentless command, Sailor Mercury slowly sank to   
the white-veined marble floor. The last thing she saw before   
the darkness claimed her was Zoisite once more reaching out   
toward the triangular focus of the Power of Mercury in order   
to disrupt its delicate balance. 


	7. Taking Sides

TAKING SIDES   
  
  
Just over a year ago: Standing tall and proud despite his   
haggard, unkempt appearance -- an appearance that blends in   
with the twisted, grotesque populace of youma within the   
Negaverse -- a redheaded, humanlike male scans carefully   
around the apparently deserted cavern. His voice barely   
audible, even to himself, he looks upward, violet eyes   
focused past the gloom-embraced ceiling of the cave.   
"Free... The seal's been broken... I can go *home*."  
  
His dark hair is matted, so badly untended that the color   
remains nearly indeterminable, and the rough, gray-colored   
trousers seem to hug his lower body far tighter than could   
be considered comfortable. Even so, the body beneath the   
cobbled-together suit of battered and dented youma armor   
shows signs of being strong, straight and athletic. His   
words remain hushed sounds in the darkness: "Vortex Mirror   
Return."  
  
As a helix of deep red light erupts from the cavern floor to   
spiral upward and obscure the man's form, an expression of   
jubilation crosses his face.  
  
In a round chamber of black stone easily recognized as the   
Hall of the Mirror enshrouded in a thick layer of gray dust,   
dim light and grave-like silence, the dull surface of the   
Mirror momentarily regains its formerly unearthly shine, the   
reflective blackness rippling and dancing like a disturbed   
pond. The surface then flows outwards, propelled from   
behind; the youma-armored, dirt-encrusted male steps into   
the Hall -- and freezes, his horror obvious. Violet eyes   
wide, he gazes around, face suddenly pale under the streaks   
of grime clinging to his skin, a soft gasp escaping from   
between slackened lips. Then he shakes his head and slowly   
turns around to stare at his reflection in the lusterless   
surface of the Mirror; a grimace of complete disgust settles   
on his face. Recoiling from the sight of himself after a   
thousand years in hell, he turns and darts out of the Hall.  
  
He searches the Tower room by room, his steps slowing, his   
posture taking on one of sorrow and defeat as each chamber   
is revealed to be as empty, as dusty, as... untouched as the   
Hall of the Mirror had been. Behind his form, the only   
signs of life are his own bootprints in the dismal shroud of   
dust that covers everything. His entire aura one of a man   
who realizes that his trip to hell hasn't ended yet, the   
redhead returns to the Hall.  
  
His scuffed-up boots making silent steps across the   
dull-colored Zodiac carpet that covers the floor of the room   
where the Vortex Mirror resides, he trudges listlessly   
toward the dais where the Mirror and velvet-padded obsidian   
stone throne next to it rest. Reaching the short flight of   
three steps, a dim sparkle in the near-darkness catches his   
attention. Looking down, he notices, at last, the   
inch-wide, spherical, faceted gemstone of deepest black   
sitting on the floor before the Mirror, tiny sparks of   
darkest green barely visible in the jewel's depths.   
Groaning in sheer agony, the tall man in the   
horridly-fitting armor falls to his knees, violet gaze   
locked on the stone, his expression truly hopeless. "My   
lord... Cosmos, Obsidian... Even you? Gods... even you..."  
  
He swallows audibly, eyes blinking rapidly as he lifts his   
gaze to stare at the dimmed Mirror, no reflection visible   
now on its smooth surface. Again, his words are a harsh,   
barely-heard whisper. "I've failed you, Lord Obsidian.   
I've failed us all. All that I have left now is my   
revenge." His expression remaining agonized, he bows his   
head and closes his eyes.  
  
************************************  
  
High up in the topmost floor of the Obsidian Tower, caught   
in that pocket dimension between all realities, a lone   
figure stood silently next to the table upon which rested   
the dull, gray stones of the race of beings that had once   
inhabited Lithos. Lavender-tinged silver hair glimmered in   
the light of the illumination crystals as Kunzite looked   
over the small, dead jewels arranged there in loose groups,   
the shattered remains of Beryl's stone scattered amongst   
them like morbid confetti. *Nephrite... Where could he be?   
And Tanzanite, of course... No one's known what's happened   
to her in half a billion years. But why can't I shake the   
feeling that there's someone else missing after all?* His   
frown deepened as he continued to stare at the table. *Lord   
Obsidian and Zoisite should be returning at any moment from   
retrieving the Sapphire. For her sake, I do hope Zoisite's   
not done anything foolish...*  
  
Behind Kunzite, a liquid ripple crossed the eerily   
reflective surface of the Vortex Mirror as the   
seven-foot-tall Symbol of Space glimmered with a   
blackish-green light. The ripple then abruptly shattered as   
a black-gloved hand broke through, to be swiftly followed by   
the rest of the incoming person. Clad in motorcycle   
leathers, the tall, slightly stocky form made a dark shadow   
there in the brightly lit chamber; framed within a thick,   
shining mane of wine-red hair, the man's handsome, youthful   
face took on a look of utter astonishment, violet eyes wide,   
as he froze in virtually the same spot he had before, when   
he had first tried coming home over a year ago.  
  
The sensation of someone passing through the Mirror had   
caught the Fire Warrior's attention. Fully expecting it to   
be the two that had left earlier on Lord Obsidian's task,   
Kunzite casually turned his body to greet his lord and his   
former lover.  
  
"*You*!" The shriek that rent the hushed atmosphere of the   
Hall of the Mirror was unexpected, noticeably male, and   
filled with a tone of white-hot fury. The newcomer's right   
hand clenched convulsively into a fist as he wound up his   
black-clad form like a champion pitcher's, the gloved fist   
starting to shine with an ominous, deep crimson light.  
  
For a seemingly eternal moment, the Southern Commander stood   
there in shock, pale lavender eyes wide and mouth hanging   
slack, stunned into inaction seeing someone else there at   
the Mirror, a someone so obviously enraged.  
  
With a violent burst of motion, the redheaded man uncoiled   
his athletic form, bringing his right arm around in a swift   
motion that seemed like a punch directed at empty air, his   
right hand half-clenched around a blazing sphere of   
sparkling wine-and-amber light. Punctuating the motion was   
the newcomer's enraged scream: "*Kunzite*!"  
  
As the sphere raced through the air of the Hall of the   
Mirror, a comet-like tail streaking behind it and its   
brilliant light reflecting off the contents of the circular   
chamber, the taller man braced himself by taking a step   
back, hands coming up into a guarding position. Expecting a   
burst of energy, Kunzite concentrated a moment; a   
barely-seen sphere of violet-pink light snapped up around   
his form.  
  
That was a mistake, for the attack was far more than merely   
energy. As expected, the absorptive shielding sucked up the   
kinetic energy of the sparkling sphere -- but the mass of   
tiny, sharp-edged granules, like the abrasive surface of   
sandpaper, was able to pass through the Fire Elemental's   
ward. Just like that, Kunzite's eyes, nose and mouth   
received a cruel baptism of stinging, crystalline dust;   
hundreds of minuscule cuts scored his face.  
  
The tall, silver-haired Gemlord shouted in pain, the sudden   
agony making his pale shield crumble into nothingness as his   
hands instinctively went to his face to try to rid himself   
of the particles that scoured the sensitive tissues of his   
face. Taken completely by surprise, Kunzite had no hope at   
all of countering the entirely mundane roundhouse that the   
younger man followed the blast with.  
  
Having leapt into action right behind his crystal and energy   
attack, the redhead smirked in satisfaction as his gloved   
fist made the caped Gemlord's head rock back under the force   
of his punch. He was able to launch two more hammer-like   
blows before his silver-haired victim's discipline   
reasserted itself. Kunzite let a third blow land, even   
though it was a shock that rattled his teeth and made the   
crystalline grit in his mouth grind even more against gums,   
cheeks and tongue, then grabbed the other man's extended   
arm. Blinded by the effects of the abrasive dust, the   
Southern Commander used his grip on the other's arm as a   
reference point to begin striking back; his fist slammed   
solidly into the other person's sternum. Then Kunzite's   
feet were violently kicked out from under himself; he   
tightened his grip, forcing his attacker to fall with him to   
the Zodiac-carpeted floor.  
  
The struggle between the two males rapidly degenerated into   
something that resembled a schoolyard scuffle, both   
combatants grunting and swearing as they landed blows and   
scrambled for some sort of advantage over their opponent.   
Reduced to trading punches and futile wrestling, the   
undignified brawl could have gone on for a tedious length of   
time.  
  
Up on the dais next to the green-padded, black stone throne,   
the Mirror once again glimmered to life, the unearthly   
surface rippling again, distorting into oblivion the   
reflection of the Hall. The hand that first broke through   
this time was adorned with a distinctive gold ring topped by   
a black stone carved with the signet of a compass star; the   
rest of Lord Obsidian swiftly followed as the dark lord   
strode out of the gateway of the Mirror and into the   
circular chamber. Attention immediately caught by the   
furious tussling near the table upon which his destroyed   
people lay sleeping in death, the Lord of Lithos was   
momentarily stunned by the surprising scene. Then he   
recovered, expression shifting into one of annoyance. Voice   
booming, thundering through the sacred chamber, Obsidian   
shouted, "What's going on here?"  
  
The struggling and scrapping men instantly froze into a   
tableau of startled guilt. As Kunzite panted, eyes still   
badly effected by the grit obscuring his vision, the redhead   
looked up at the source of the shout. Seeing who it was   
standing there, the color completely drained from his   
handsome face.  
  
The red-haired man had thought he'd never see the Lord of   
Lithos again. Tall, athletic, his nearly-black hair   
spilling loosely over his shoulders in soft waves, clad in   
clothes whose darkness was only relieved by the glitter of   
gold trim and the lining of his cloak, the familiar, noble   
figure was alive, vividly so. Appearing to loom over the   
two still paused in their somewhat juvenile brawling as he   
stepped down the three stairs to stand next to them, the   
Guardian of Space frowned at the pair, the light of the   
illumination crystals glittering off the glossy ebon stone   
in the center of the golden circlet that adorned his brow.  
  
"Lo -- Lord... Obsidian...? Sir...?" stammered the redhead.  
  
Once more the golden-brown eyes swept over the two, the   
frown still there. The man that had hesitantly addressed   
him was pinning the Fire Warrior to the Zodiac carpet, face   
down, holding the Southern Commander's left arm twisted   
against the lavender cloak. In return, Kunzite had reached   
up with his free hand, grasping the other man's dark red   
hair in preparation for either an attempt at a throw or just   
a simple infliction of pain. As the other man's grip on him   
slackened, Kunzite considered taking advantage of his   
opponent's distraction; however, one look at Obsidian   
through his painfully swollen and watering eyes convinced   
the pale-haired commander that doing so would be a bad idea.  
  
Remaining silent and glowering, Obsidian's brow furrowed as   
he stared at the man pinning Kunzite; the deep brown eyes   
continued to be focused on him while the Fire Warrior turned   
loose of the fistful of wine-red hair in his one hand and   
yanked his other arm free. Still stunned, the leather-clad   
male slid off Kunzite's back; the Southern Commander   
immediately began to sit up once his attacker's weight was   
off his tall form. That the man was here indicated that he   
was a Gemlord, yet Obsidian was sure he had collected them   
all save for Nephrite and Tanzanite. However, the longer he   
stared at the man, the more he was convinced that that man   
was a Gemlord somehow overlooked.  
  
"Lord Obsidian?" once again the redhead asked, smooth, deep   
voice holding a tone of inquiry.  
  
*That voice...* A spark of memory came to life, a momentary   
flash of an image of this same man, much younger and   
kneeling before him in humble awe. The Guardian of Space's   
stormy expression softened. "Lord Garnet?"  
  
At the sound of Obsidian's words, Kunzite blinked rapidly a   
few times, the tear-filled lavender eyes beginning to return   
to some semblance of normalcy. Peering past the dark Terran   
clothing and struggle-tousseled mane of his attacker, the   
Fire Warrior's lips became set in a straight, grim line.   
*Garnet... Of course...*  
  
"I thought you were dead." The younger Gemlord shifted his   
violet glance to glare at Kunzite. "*Both* of you." An   
angry frown creeping across his handsome face, Lord Garnet   
looked back up at his people's ruler. "My lord, what in   
Cosmos is this... this--"  
  
"Traitor doing here?" Kunzite interrupted sharply, giving   
the other Lithosian as stoney a look as was possible with   
puffy, bloodshot eyes. Still affected by the numerous tiny   
cuts from the facefull of garnet crystals, his swollen nasal   
passages distorted his deep voice, making him sound like he   
was growling underwater.  
  
"Exactly so," Garnet confirmed, allowing himself a bit of a   
smug expression. After all, it wasn't everyday someone got   
the drop so *well* on the Southern Commander.  
  
Obsidian replied, his voice tinged with a matter-of-fact   
tone, "I brought him here. Since Metallia's hold on him is   
broken, he's being given a chance to restore my faith in   
him."  
  
Neither one of the other two Gemlords noticed the tiny wince   
Kunzite gave at the Lord of Lithos's words; it was a flinch   
swiftly smoothed into oblivion. "The question *I* have,"   
the Fire Warrior softly said, "is how did *you* manage to   
get here, Garnet? You're supposed to be dead."  
  
"So are you. Hasn't slowed you down... much." Another smirk   
as the redhead watched, amused, as the pale-lavender-haired   
warrior's lip curled in a snarl at Garnet's taunting   
reference to the slow reaction of his appearance.  
  
Before the conversation could go further, a new figure burst   
forth from the shimmering, rippled surface of the Mirror.   
Three pairs of eyes focused on the slender form clad in   
violet-blue, soft, wavy, copper-gold hair swirling around   
head and shoulders like a silken cloud. As Zoisite stopped   
dead in her tracks, large eyes going huge at the sight of an   
unexpected man there, Garnet's own violet eyes narrowed. So   
his senses were correct after all. He didn't know whether   
to be jubilant or disgusted.  
  
"Hey, Zo'! Hi there! How's it going?" the leather-clad   
Gemlord quipped, his flippant tone contradicted by the lines   
of icy fury on his face. "So nice to see you. *Alive*,   
that is." His countenance shifting to one of contempt,   
Garnet turned his attention back to the dark lord standing   
nearby. "Let me guess, my lord. She's another   
second-chancer."  
  
"Yes," came Obsidian's flat response, even as Zoisite's   
exquisite face blanched deathly white, the slender fingers   
of her hand coming up to touch her trembling lips.  
  
"Garnet? You -- you're--"  
  
"Alive too?" the athletic redhead interrupted, cutting off   
Zoisite's stammered words. "Apparently so, wouldn't you   
say? But I gotta be honest; I'm actually doing better than   
either one of you." He paused, coldly glancing from the   
shocked Western Commander to Kunzite, who was wiping his   
eyes with extreme caution. "I never died in the first   
place."  
  
"But -- but you *did*! I know you did," the ponytailed woman   
blurted out, strident voice almost a shriek. "We scanned   
for you -- all of us -- and you weren't *there*." She could   
feel it again, that soul-numbing panic and regret that had   
burned there far under the surface of the dark power that   
had become her master. The thought of him being lost had   
*hurt*, though at the time Metallia had drowned it out,   
keeping her from feeling it at all. Now the pain and the   
shame were back, reflected within the depths of her   
violet-blue eyes.  
  
"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Garnet   
paraphrased, low voice deadpan.  
  
"But *how*--?"  
  
"What, you want me to tell secrets? I don't *do* that, Zo',   
remember?" With a soft grunt, Garnet rose from the floor.   
Straightening out his leather jacket, which had gotten   
somewhat twisted in the struggle, he then reached down to   
offer Kunzite an assist up.  
  
Glaring up at the redheaded Gemlord, the Southern Commander   
looked as if he'd sooner bite off Garnet's hand at the wrist   
than accept his aid. However, under Lord Obsidian's chill   
and watchful gaze, Kunzite took Garnet's hand and allowed   
the younger man to help him to his feet.  
  
Recovering from her shock, Zoisite finally took a good look   
at Kunzite and softly gasped, noticing the swelling and   
watery eyes that marked his elegant beauty. Abruptly   
indignant, she rounded on Garnet, demanding, "What did you   
*do* to him?" She impulsively took a step forward,   
determined now to do *something* to the man that dared   
attack her love like that, but the sharp glare she got from   
Kunzite made her stop in her tracks. Glaring sullenly, she   
watched as the leather-clad Gemlord shrugged in reply, a   
slightly sheepish expression on his face.  
  
"Lord Garnet, perhaps you'd like to tell me what happened to   
you?" Obsidian's soft words were delivered in an inhumanly   
calm tone. There was one thing the Lord of Lithos had   
figured out, however; apparently Garnet's power to become   
forgotten by those not continually exposed to his presence   
affected even himself. After a thousand years, even   
Obsidian himself had "overlooked" the young Gemlord's   
existence in his memory, though seeing him here now had   
brought everything back.  
  
"Of course, sir," the redhead answered immediately, snapping   
to attention.  
  
In the slight pause that followed, Zoisite bit nervously at   
her thumbnail, Kunzite feigned indifference and continued to   
carefully wipe the irritating garnet grit from his eyes, and   
Obsidian merely raised an eyebrow, waiting.  
  
"I had completed my reconnaissance of the apparent spatial   
disturbance and was on my way back to the Tower when I   
stumbled across an advance unit of Beryl's soldiers," Garnet   
began, his voice filling the room with the quiet, rolling   
cadence that he had always used in his detailed reports,   
violet eyes drifting half-shut as his amazing memory   
summoned up images from the fall of Lithos.  
  
He went on to describe how, reluctant to teleport and run   
the risk of having his aura or the ripple in the psychic   
atmosphere thus made alert anyone to the fact that the   
invading forces had been observed, he had taken on the   
Negaverse creatures. After a swift but vicious fight, he   
had ended up destroying the patrol, but he too had been   
wounded and had suffered a dangerous loss of time. Anguish   
seeped into his voice as he related how he had struggled to   
the crest of the last hill overlooking the City, just in   
time to see the furious battle in the heart of the   
settlement as Lieutenant Emerald was struck down by the   
traitorous Elemental Guard.  
  
Just as he had made the decision to teleport to the aid of   
his lord and the Tower Guard as they struggled against   
Beryl, the Elementals and the Seven Shadows, another assault   
caught him from behind -- one deliberately calculated to   
bring him down. Already wounded and tired from the earlier   
combat and never one for an extended fight to begin with,   
Garnet held his own just barely long enough to see   
Lieutenants Ruby and Sapphire fall before he was battered   
into unconsciousness.  
  
His voice grew cold as he told about awakening to the chill   
sound of Zoisite's feminine laughter, of attempting to move   
only to find himself securely bound. Wounded in body and   
spirit, he had listened in bitter silence as the five   
traitors had gloated over their relatively successful   
campaigns against both their own race and the Silver   
Millennium, feeling ill at how gleefully Beryl and her   
generals had celebrated the fall of the Moon Kingdom.   
Garnet had quickly learned that his own capture had been   
effected simply to gain access to the wealth of information   
that he was privy to; despite his normally low profile, even   
among his fellow Gemlords -- he was believed to be just your   
run-of-the-mill intelligence gatherer under the auspices of   
Lord Hiddenite -- his true duties were well known to the   
Elemental Guard, especially his cherished younger "sibling",   
Zoisite. Garnet made sure to shoot a darkly furious glance   
to the youngest Gemlord as he recounted that part of his   
report.  
  
At least Zoisite had the good graces to flush bright red in   
embarrassment and look away in shame at Garnet's withering   
glare.  
  
"The Elementals-turned-Generals did whatever they could to   
make me talk, but even they had to admit that they couldn't   
push me past my endurance just then," the redheaded spy   
continued, pointedly ignoring Zoisite's abashed stance. "I   
was too exhausted and too wounded to hold up to much at all.   
So instead, they gave up their efforts and ordered me   
escorted under armed guard to a cell to await a time when   
the interrogation could be resumed after I had recovered my   
strength. However, along the way, I succeeded in slipping   
my bonds, disposing the guards and faking my own death." To   
his credit, Garnet didn't shoot the pair of Elemental   
Commanders an obnoxious smirk.  
  
"Seems as if you had a reserve of energy left untapped that   
we didn't know about." Reddened eyes narrowed at the   
younger Gemlord, Kunzite drew himself up to his full height.   
"Next time, I'll know better."  
  
Obsidian turned his attention to the Fire Warrior, a scowl   
on his handsome face. "There had better not be a 'next   
time', understood?"  
  
Kunzite flinched from his lord's angry stare and bowed his   
head, submissively. "Of course, my lord."  
  
Her violet-blue eyes still fastened on Garnet, Zoisite   
demanded," But how did you *do* it? We *talked* to one of   
those guards, yet *you* just said--"  
  
"I know," the leather-clad man replied, finally smirking.   
"Bet he looked and sounded a lot like this, didn't he?"   
Turning away for a moment, Garnet let his posture abruptly   
shift. Slumping forward from the hips and twisting to the   
left, he let the arm on that side hang loose, giving it the   
illusion of jointlessness, and then contorted his right arm   
upwards in order to place a claw-fingered hand to his chest.   
He turned back to face the others suddenly, his entire body   
seemingly grotesquely warped, and essayed several shuffling,   
sliding steps forward. His voice now modulated into a   
high-pitched, hissing warble -- quite different from his   
normal tones -- he whined, "Beggin'... szzzz... pardon, Yer   
Majezzty..."  
  
Obsidian raised an eyebrow at the performance, rather   
impressed once again by the young man's talent. Next to him,   
Kunzite stiffened even more and Zoisite softly gasped as   
both former Negaverse generals realized that they *had seen   
this before*.  
  
************************************  
  
Another look into the past: Zoisite stands beside Kunzite,   
playing with the end of her copper-gold ponytail and   
restlessly shifts her weight from one foot to the other.   
From the look on her face, she'd be far happier off doing   
something else than just standing there in Beryl's throne   
room. The tall, silver-haired warrior's face hold much the   
same expression.  
  
On the other side of an invisible aisle in front of the   
throne, Nephrite casts a brief, contemptuous glance at the   
fidgeting youngest General. Jadeite stands next to the   
auburn-haired man, amber eyes flicking from person to person   
gathered there.  
  
Catching the other's look at her and taking a quick look in   
the direction of the silent, withdrawn and motionless figure   
of Queen Beryl sitting upon the twisted throne of dark   
stone, the ponytailed woman risks slyly and rather rudely   
poking her tongue out at Nephrite. As Jadeite lifts a   
white-gloved hand to his face to hide a snicker, Nephrite   
only smirks at the childish Gemlord. From Kunzite's   
expression -- or rather, sudden lack of one -- he's doing   
his best to ignore the others in the room.  
  
The chilled silence in the room continues on for a few   
seconds longer before the timid, creeping entrance of a   
crudely armored figure breaks it. Moving in a slow,   
awkward, shuffling slide, the figure limps heavily on its   
left leg. The grating, whining voice is made even more   
annoying by the slight echoing its partially concealing helm   
makes. "Beggin'... szzzz... pardon, Yer Majezzty... the   
prizzzner..."  
  
In response to the intrusion, Queen Beryl's cold, red-irised   
eyes open slowly to glare at the twisted figure. "What   
about the prisoner?"  
  
"Szzzz... prizzzner izzz... gone."  
  
From the sudden startled expressions on the four generals'   
faces as they focus their attention on the youma, something   
within them still cares, even now, days after the   
destruction of Lithos and the Silver Millennium. Though the   
three males remain silent, Zoisite's impulsive shriek rends   
the air, "*What*?!"  
  
"Prizzzner... fought, tried ezzzzcape," the annoying,   
hissing voice goes on to say, the creature gesturing   
slightly with its twisted arm. "Foughtzz good, but too near   
edge of... szzzz... pit." The thing laughs, a harsh and   
choking sound. "Prizzzner fallzz. Skreemzz, all down to...   
szzzz... bottom. Then no more skreemzz, heh, heh."  
  
Even though she wears the grey uniform of Metallia's   
warriors, Zoisite's slender form stiffens as if she's   
suddenly hurt. Abruptly chewing on the tip of a finger of a   
white glove, she looks as if she's going to actually cry   
there before Beryl's throne before she apparently recalls   
where she is and who she is now.  
  
"Where is the rest of your patrol?" Beryl inquires almost   
idly, her strident voice echoing in the dark chamber as her   
claw-like hands caress the crystal ball atop her scepter.  
  
The youma gestures again with its twisted arm. "All gonzz.   
Prizzzner good fighter, like szzzaid."  
  
As Kunzite and Nephrite exchange glances at one another,   
Beryl nods, her flame-like hair glimmering in the dim light   
as she accepts the creature's report.  
  
"Very well. You are dismissed from Our presence."  
  
After an awkward bow, painful merely to watch it, the youma   
shambles from the chamber. Though the four generals stare   
after the creature until it disappears through the twisted   
archway that was the only apparent way in or out of the   
throne room, the redheaded queen closes her eyes again,   
going back to her silent contemplation.  
  
************************************  
  
"That was *you*--" Zoisite breathed, realizing just what had   
happened all those long years ago.  
  
"Obviously so, Zo'. Had you forgotten everything I'd every   
taught you? Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain   
view." Garnet's scholarly tone was completely ruined by the   
obnoxious grin he was wearing.  
  
It was a grin that Kunzite suddenly felt a blinding need to   
smack off the younger Gemlord's face. He had long thought   
that somehow, some way, all the mysterious sabotage and   
other annoying little occurrences could be the work of the   
slippery and supposedly dead Gemlord, but he'd never had the   
evidence to conclusively show that Garnet still existed.   
Then again, what with Siolan giving them all one hell of a   
pain in the ass until Queen Beryl wisely got rid of the   
redheaded warrioress, it was hard to tell what was Siolan's   
work and what was the work of this mysterious and elusive   
agent. However, the only outward sign of the Fire Warrior's   
sudden rage was the hand he curled into a loose fist.  
  
"I've heard enough for now," Lord Obsidian quietly said,   
turning his dark gaze to the pale-lavender haired Gemlord.   
Continuing to stare at Kunzite until the other man   
unclenched his fist, the Lord of Lithos added, "Commander   
Zoisite? Be so kind as to show Lord Garnet to his   
chambers."  
  
"Sir, I know my wa--" the redheaded spy began to protest,   
only to immediately shift his sentence when Obsidian's stern   
gaze flicked over to him. "--it'd be great if Commander   
Zoisite showed me. My memory's seemed to have gotten a bit   
foggy. Sir."  
  
Surprisingly, the Water Warrior made no protest at the   
Guardian of Space's command. Her gaze set on the carpeted   
floor, she walked toward the doorway opposite the Vortex   
Mirror that lead out of the circular chamber.  
  
Glad to have the dark lord's withering gaze elsewhere other   
than on himself, Garnet followed after his younger sibling's   
slender form.  
  
At the doorway out of the Hall of the Mirror, however,   
Zoisite stopped dead in her tracks to take one last look at   
Kunzite. The tall, lavender-cloaked Gemlord had gone back   
to carefully wiping out the remaining garnet grit from his   
eyes and wasn't even watching the two others leave the   
sacred chamber. Lifting a hand to bite at her thumbnail, a   
hurt expression in her eyes, the slender Water Warrior   
abruptly darted through the door.  
  
Behind her, the big, leather-clad Gemlord nearly ran right   
over Zoisite before pulling up short, but by the time he   
actually had stopped, she was moving again. Softly sighing,   
Garnet rolled his violet eyes upward in mild exasperation   
and started off once more, following in her wake.  
  
Neither one of them spoke as the Western Commander lead the   
redheaded spy through the Tower on a route he could have   
retraced in his sleep. Their footfalls echoed slightly on   
the obsidian stone steps as they descended the slow spiral   
that ran along the inner side of the outermost wall of the   
circular structure. Down past the floor immediately below   
the Hall, where Garnet knew the four members of the   
Elemental Guard had their luxurious quarters, down past the   
next floor, where the fabled Tower Library was housed, the   
two Lithosians went. Garnet knew that the floor after that,   
the twelfth one up from the ground floor of the Tower, was   
where they were heading. Even after he'd received his   
circlet as a full-fledged, adult member of the Gemlord   
society, the big redhead had never moved out of his   
student's studio apartment, simply because it hadn't seemed   
worth the effort, not without *her*. Frowning, Garnet tried   
shoving that thought aside, like he'd always done, then   
found himself staring at Zoisite's backside as they   
continued the slow descent to the twelfth floor.  
  
*So much like her... Perhaps more glamorous, certainly more   
temperamental, and absolutely male at times.* Feeling the   
old, familiar ache, Garnet closed his eyes and shook his   
head slightly, trying to get her out of his mind.  
  
Once they were to the large landing from which the entrance   
to the students' quarters was accessed, however, Zoisite   
suddenly stopped in mid-stride and gracefully whirled.   
Expecting an attack -- after all, he was well aware of how   
vicious and sneaky the ponytailed warrior could be after   
that horrid stint in the Negaverse -- Garnet planted his   
feet and braced himself. That turned out to be a good idea,   
for Zoisite flung herself against his broad chest, her arms   
wrapping around his ribs, and hugged him so tightly that he   
thought he felt something creak. Astonished, Garnet's jaw   
dropped, then slackened further when he realized that the   
slender woman was... crying. At first only quiet shaking,   
Zoisite was swiftly building up into a full-fledged sobbing   
fit.  
  
"Hey now... Shhh..." he tried to comfort her into stopping,   
putting his arms around her, just as he had so many times   
before. "Zo', please, come on. Don't cry..." Feeling her   
shaking against him, he bowed his own head -- and realized   
that his own vision was getting swimmy as he started to   
identify words in Zoisite's sobs.  
  
"Missed you... Missed you so *much*... I'm so *sorry*. I   
screwed up badly, got in over my head and I couldn't *get   
out*..." The youngest Gemlord huddled against Garnet, her   
hands clutching his black leather jacket tightly as a   
millennium's worth of brutally repressed emotion was finally   
allowed to well up and be expressed. How could she ever   
explain that it was like there was someone else in her own   
body, reacting and doing things as she stood next to the   
dark invader and could only watch, helplessly. She hadn't   
known it was a trap at the beginning, and by the time she   
had realized it, it was far, far too late.  
  
Garnet's blurry vision cleared suddenly as the cause of it   
spilled down his cheeks as a glittering tear; his arms   
tightening around Zoisite as she leaned into him, her words   
muffled by his chest. All the dark thoughts of exacting   
painful revenge that he'd nursed over the last millennium   
simply faded away. After all, this was the Gemlord he'd   
considered a little sister, dammit, and that relationship   
was far older than a mere thousand years. "I missed you   
too, Zo'," he murmured, pressing his cheek gently against   
the young woman's copper-gold hair.  
  
"I'm no good... Everyone must hate me... Lithos is gone,   
they're all *gone*, I did it... Kunzite hates my guts now...   
Obsidian doesn't trust me anymore... I let you down..."   
Zoisite continued to sob, working herself up into a fit that   
bordered on the hysterical. Within her, she could feel the   
odd, burning sensation of her Element out of focus, the   
continuing effects of her own actions of disrupting the   
mystic Fountain in Mariner Castle. She knew she was out of   
balance herself, but it was too hard to maintain her focus   
as long as her Element was crippled. Lord Obsidian had   
promised that it was only temporary; she *had* to trust him.   
After all, he was the Guardian of Space, and the Center of   
the Elemental Binding.  
  
"Zo' hey... come on," Garnet almost begged as he held the   
sobbing woman; seeing his little siblings cry was always   
something that made him fall all over himself trying to make   
them happy again. He hugged Zoisite's slender body against   
his own stocky form, patting her back gently with one big   
hand while the other lightly stroked her coppery-gold hair.   
"Shh, listen... let's go to my room and you can let it all   
out, okay? Just say everything that's on your mind, Zo'..."  
  
Without waiting for an answer, the redheaded Gemlord picked   
up the Water Warrior as if she weighed nothing at all,   
cradling her against his broad chest. Still crying, Zoisite   
wrapped her slim arms around her big brother's neck and   
pressed her cheek against him as he carried her the rest of   
the way to his old quarters. Finding his arms full of   
sobbing Gemlord, Garnet prudently turned to his powers and   
opened up the door through some well-focused telekinesis.  
  
His quarters were exactly the way he had left them, just as   
immaculately tidy as they had been that last time he was   
here in the Tower, just over a year ago. At least this   
time, he didn't have the heartrending sight of everything   
covered in a millennium of powdery dust from abandonment.   
With the Guardian of Space awake and active, the Obsidian   
Tower was back to doing its almost magical thing of   
maintaining itself from dust and the like. Decorated in   
shades of deep red and violet-red, Garnet's spacious, studio   
apartment within the Tower was almost obsessively neat, with   
everything spotless, organized and flawless. Stepping   
through the opened doorway, flanked on either side by a   
bookcase sporting a collection of books perfectly   
alphabetized by author and a well-ordered worktable, the   
leather-clad man strode over to his wrinkle-free bed and   
carefully set Zoisite down on the edge of it; sitting down   
next to her on the dark red covers, he slipped an arm around   
her shuddering shoulders. It was a scene played out   
hundreds of times before: Garnet the protector, watching   
over and comforting the Gemlords he considered siblings,   
especially the youngest one of them all, when they were   
children.  
  
Holding her the best he could, Garnet pulled off his black   
biker jacket and condescended to just tossing it onto the   
chair at his bedside. That done, he hugged Zoisite gently   
against himself, letting her cry all over his shoulder and   
chest, not minding the damp puddle she was making out of his   
violet-red T-shirt. He knew, from long experience, that   
trying to make the emotional Western Commander calm down   
before he or she was good and ready to become calm again was   
a completely futile gesture. It was always best to let   
Zoisite vent completely before doing more than offering   
quiet, soothing murmurs and comforting cuddles.  
  
However, that was only bringing back that underlying   
awareness of Zoisite as something far more alluring than   
just a "little sister"; the longer he held onto her and   
listened to her cry, the longer her slim form was pressed   
against him, the more he was made aware of that old, old   
attraction between them. He'd always wanted to protect her   
from everything, including himself -- and there were times   
he'd felt like his desires to shift their relationship to   
something more intimate than what it currently was was a   
betrayal of that even more ancient desire for his now-lost   
love.  
  
Of course, the fact that Zoisite and himself were attracted   
to one another that way, and had been for centuries, was no   
matter. After all, Lithosian culture reflected the fact   
that the Gemlords had no biological ties to one another.   
All their relationships were decided by conscious choice of   
the parties involved.  
  
Still murmuring softly to the blonde woman, Garnet waited   
for Zoisite to cry herself out.  
  
************************************  
  
*Cosmos... What the hell am I going to  
do?* Sighing softly to himself, shifting his nude body under  
the covers enough to glance over at the young woman in his   
bed,  
Garnet couldn't help but smile faintly.  
  
Zoisite was asleep, her beautiful features looking adorably   
angelic at the moment, her shimmering hair unbound and   
spilling over her, Garnet's chest and the dark red blankets   
that covered them both. If nothing else, he'd made her   
happy again, giving her the love and reassurance she'd   
craved. He took a moment from his troubled thoughts to   
gently brush a stray lock from her face, then cuddled her   
closer as she sleepily snuggled against him. It was every   
bit as good as he'd ever imagined it would be, even if he   
couldn't shake the fantasy of it being someone else, someone   
that looked very similar.  
  
His violet gaze returning to focusing on the ceiling of his   
faintly-illuminated room, Garnet once more wondered what he   
should do. The story his sister-now-lover -- it was a good   
bet that they'd be repeating this, not that he minded at   
all; Zoisite was very talented, as it turned out -- had   
sobbed out to him was nearly incredible. Lord Obsidian was   
systematically striking out at the Senshi that guarded the   
Sol system, robbing them of their powers at the same time he   
was hunting for a set of stones that seemed to be the key to   
restoring both their shattered homeworld of Lithos and the   
rest of their race. And he was forcing Kunzite and Zoisite   
to deliberately interfere with the Elements at their   
command. Not only that, but Lord Obsidian also apparently   
had one Senshi imprisoned in a crystalline structure there   
in the Hall itself. Garnet frowned at that. He'd sort of   
noticed the black stone crystal, but hadn't really had a   
chance to investigate. That it apparently contained Sailor   
Andromeda only made him feel slightly queasy.  
  
None of what Zoisite had told him made sense. It just   
didn't sound like the Lord Obsidian he knew and considered a   
close friend, yet Garnet realized that it was the truth. No   
matter how much of a conniving brat the youngest Gemlord   
could be, Zoisite wouldn't make up something like that, and   
the disturbing sense of her aura being unbalanced only lent   
weight to her tale.  
  
It was one hell of a quandary. He was bound by law and   
loyalty both to obey Lord Obsidian, yet what his ruler was   
doing was unacceptable and just not like him. Closing his   
eyes, he absently snuggled in closer to the slender woman   
sleeping next to himself. He'd come to some sort of   
decision later. Right now, sleep sounded very enticing. It   
had been one hell of a day.  
  
************************************  
  
Nephrite had been hoping that he'd be able to spend a quiet   
evening at home. Rattled by both seeing his attempt at   
making amends to Peter Fisher go horribly wrong as well as   
literally ramming into someone he'd believed to be dead for   
so long, he needed the peace and quiet of his familiar,   
comforting home to relax and try to find a way to salvage   
his second chance.  
  
That quiet evening just wasn't meant to be.  
  
The auburn-haired teen had been reading the paper, his   
attention caught up in the various doings of the world trade   
markets, when the unexpected knock on his mansion's front   
door had come; still shaken by the day's previous events, he   
had found immersing himself into the information needed to   
indulge in his love of money and finances soothing to his   
frayed nerves. The sound that drifted through the still   
atmosphere of the dark, seemingly empty mansion was   
startling for two reasons. The first was that someone had   
actually gotten the nerve to come up the winding driveway   
through the admittedly spooky forest that covered the hill   
upon which the mansion was perched. The second was that in   
order for him to have heard it, that "knock" must have been   
actually one hell of a pounding on the sturdy, oak door.   
Startled, Nephrite pursed his lips together, his   
astonishment swiftly shifting to mild annoyance. *Just what   
the *hell's* that all about?*  
  
Another round of pounding drifted through the area.   
Apparently this person wasn't going to just go away.   
Sighing, the teenager set the paper down on the mahogany   
endtable next to the comfortable, leather-upholstered couch   
upon which he was sitting, then rose to his feet. Almost   
storming out of the library, Nephrite was in quite the   
confrontational mood by the time he stalked through the   
house and made it to the front door.  
  
Yet another barrage of the quite insistent sound greeted him   
as he approached the foyer. *For Cosmos's sake, hold your   
damned horses,* he mentally growled, jade-green eyes   
narrowing in irritation. Grasping the ornate, brass   
doorknob -- not truly a doorknob, but rather a trigger-like   
latch above a smooth, brass curve that acted as a handle --   
he depressed the latch with one hand as his other hand slid   
the security chain from its latched position. Yanking the   
oaken door open, Nephrite took a deep breath to give the   
rude caller an earful... and froze, his breath escaping in a   
strangled sound.  
  
*Lita...*  
  
The ponytailed brunette was alive, apparently all in one   
piece -- and angry to boot. "Well, just the person I was   
hoping to see. Good! That means I can get right down to   
business." With that announcement, Lita stormed off the   
covered front porch of the huge house, through the door and   
proceeded to deck the flabbergasted boy.  
  
Pain erupted, filling the now-mortal Gemlord's awareness.   
Head rocking back with the force of the blow, the auburn   
haired teen crumpled to the polished, wooden parquetry floor   
of the foyer. Before he could even recover from either the   
astonishment or the punch, Nephrite became muzzily aware of   
a strong hand grabbing his shirt and literally hauling him   
back up to his feet. Trying to gather his focus, he really   
couldn't decide which was worse: the fact that this body   
seemed to be very vulnerable to physical harm compared to   
what he was used to, or that he was too stunned to even   
defend himself.  
  
"Now that I have your attention, Nathan, maybe you'll be   
willing to explain a few things to me?" the athletic girl   
said, her voice firm. "Like what the *hell's* going on?   
What are you up to? Why are you running around talking to   
your former victims?"  
  
*Your former victims... ?* Panic started to twine with   
punch-induced shock. She'd figured it out, just like he'd   
been afraid she had. Staring at her -- and slightly   
surprised he didn't see two images of her; he still felt   
that rummy -- he held his hands up in a gesture of   
submission. "Lita, I swear on anything you hold sacred that   
I wasn't out to harm anyone! If you hadn't've interfered..."  
  
Lita's forest-green eyes narrowed in irritation. Determined   
to remind the slightly taller teen who was in control at the   
moment, she gave the boy a brisk shake, her hand still   
clutching a handful of his expensive, ivory-colored dress   
shirt. "It's still your fault, Nathan. Or should I call   
you '*Nephrite*'? If you hadn't been wandering around--"  
  
At least his own temper was returning. The anger felt good,   
since it gave him something to center his focus on. "Call   
me whatever you want, just *let go*."  
  
So he didn't deny the identity. Lita made a mental note on   
that as she looked him over. He was gazing back at her, the   
stunned expression in his jade-green eyes giving way to an   
angry, sullen light, his body bent back slightly, the soft   
shirt's material tight under her formidable grip, his hands   
lifted in apparent surrender as he warily waited to see what   
she would do next. That he hadn't started fighting back   
made her wonder slightly; either he couldn't or he wouldn't,   
but she was going to be damned careful until she knew which   
it was for sure. "I still haven't gotten any explanations   
out of you yet," she pointed out.  
  
"I'd be far more inclined to discuss anything you want if we   
were carrying on a far more civil conversation."  
  
"I dunno... I have a feeling you'd be far more truthful   
being held hostage like you are at the moment."  
  
"Hardly. I can barely think straight as it is right now. I   
swear, Lita, I'll answer your questions as truthfully as   
possible," Nephrite responded, hating the almost begging   
tone that crept into his low, mellow tenor voice. "Please...   
Just trust me for once..."  
  
The athletic brunette almost growled, almost shook him again   
and shouted in his face that there was no way in hell she   
was ever going to trust someone that had been -- and still   
could be, for all she knew -- a general of the Negaverse,   
but the pleading look in his gorgeous green eyes made her   
relent. After all, the teen was still dreamy... and there   
was something about him that made her want to believe that   
she could trust him again. *Again? Where did that come   
from?* Frowning, she pushed aside her bewilderment at that   
stray thought and focused on her captive once more.  
  
Nephrite had only a quick moment to wonder about the odd   
flash of confusion he noticed in Lita's forest-green eyes   
before he found himself drug just a bit closer to her.   
Their noses almost touching, making it hard indeed to keep   
his gaze focused on her, he fought down the impulse to just   
punch her back. After all, he wanted to be at peace with   
the Senshi, not start another round of enmity, and he *did*   
deserve everything he was getting in the first place for   
being *stupid* enough to let himself get caught in   
Metallia's trap.  
  
"I really shouldn't bother trying to actually trust you   
after what you've done, but I'm going to go against my   
better judgment and do just that." With that almost   
imperious declaration, Lita abruptly let go of the other   
teen's now-rumpled shirt.  
  
"Thank you," the athletic boy replied, his gratitude   
heartfelt. Focusing on smoothing down his clothing,   
Nephrite couldn't make himself meet her gaze. "How about   
going to the parlor, having something to drink and talking   
things over like two civilized beings?" he suggested,   
tugging down his shirt. "We'll be more comfortable doing   
that than standing out here in the foyer glaring at one   
another."  
  
*It's got to be a trick, but he seems so sincere at the   
moment.* Once again, Lita frowned, but this time she   
reluctantly nodded. "All right. I'll let you play the   
gracious host, as long as you keep your promise to tell me   
the truth."  
  
"I will." Stepping back, Nephrite turned and walked over to   
a door off to his visitor's left. Turning the faceted   
crystal doorknob on the mahogany door, he pulled it opened   
and gestured for her to step inside. "I have no intention   
of going back on my word. Now... What would you like to   
drink? I have a number of choices..."  
  
Still glaring at him, still half-afraid that he was somehow   
leading her into a trap despite the fact that he was so   
obviously surprised at seeing her there on his doorstep to   
begin with, Lita sighed at her apparent lack of discipline   
and strode across the parquetry floor, wondering what she'd   
like to drink as she grilled her subject on the events of   
the past few days.  
  
************************************  
  
One by one, the soft-soled, black-booted feet made silent   
steps along the detritus-covered hillside. Heel first, then   
smoothly rolling forward to the ball of the foot, each step   
was calculated to bear the person's weight efficiently, to   
keep the small twigs and other forest-born debris from   
snapping or otherwise alerting potential witnesses to her   
presence. Of course, that was assuming that anyone around   
had only the five normal senses one assumed with Terrans.  
  
She was dressed all in black -- an outfit that she usually   
referred to as her "working gear" -- a smooth, lithe shadow   
that glided from trunk to trunk underneath the canopy of   
massive evergreens that covered the hill. That her mane of   
deep red hair slightly ruined the effect didn't bother her   
in the least. After all, she was here to satisfy her   
curiosity, not do a job. Thank the Dragons for that. She   
wasn't sure *what* she'd do if she had been hired to carry   
out a job here on the top of this hill, especially since she   
was almost certain he'd be here.  
  
*Nephrite...* After five centuries of being at his side in   
one capacity or another, she was sure she knew his habits   
well enough to know him. Steadfast, stubborn, the   
auburn-haired Negaverse general had always preferred to be   
surrounded by comfortable places holding familiar things and   
possessions. True, she had often badgered him about being   
so *damned* predictable; now she was fervently praying that   
he had kept that little personality quirk over the centuries   
they've been separated.  
  
Just over a year ago, she had known when this mysterious   
mansion on the hill had suddenly appeared as if by magic on   
the outskirts of the city of Tokyo, the curious,   
heartbreakingly familiar sensation of his power prickling on   
the edge of her mental awareness. Though she had searched   
until she had located this place, the gloom of the Negaverse   
clinging to the shadows and deep shelter under the canopy of   
evergreen boughs, she hadn't dared to contact him. Given   
his abrupt assumption of the command over the Negaverse's   
operations on Terra, that redheaded *witch* would have been   
watching him too closely to risk it. Having come far too   
close to death on a number of occasions already, Siolan   
hadn't been keen to take the chance. After all, she had   
been sure there would be time enough to wait for Beryl's   
watchful eye to turn its attention elsewhere and give Siolan   
the chance to reunite with her lost lover.  
  
*In retrospect, I should have risked it,* she mentally   
growled to herself, continuing to edge carefully up the   
hill. *The danger might have been worth it to be with him   
again. I might have been able to save him from that brat   
Zoisite's machinations...* Another growl, this time a soft,   
almost feral sound, rumbled from her throat as she shoved   
the thoughts away. She needed to concentrate now on the   
task at hand, to get close enough to the big, spooky mansion   
on the apex of the hill and determine if her former lover   
truly *was* there in one form or another.  
  
Finally, after much care and patience on her part -- skills   
learned long ago more or less on the job -- she found   
herself at the edge of the trees. Pressing her black-clad   
form against the rough bark of a tree trunk, her antique   
gold eyes scanned over the grounds. Seeing the grand   
mansion right there, her heart took on a hard rhythm that   
was slamming so hard against her ribs that she actually   
thought for just a wild second that there was a chance   
someone around could actually *hear* it.  
  
She discovered that she was standing near the southwest   
corner of the building; the front doors, facing south, were   
set back from a broad front porch lined with graceful   
columns that supported a second-floor balcony. She could   
glimpse French doors opening out onto that balcony, below a   
large circular window; starlight glinted on that window,   
dimly revealing that it was actually a gorgeous rose window   
of stained glass, like something from a cathedral. A wide   
verandah ran along the western side of the house, with a few   
doors spaced along it. A detached garage stood at the   
western edge of the circular terminus of the driveway. Idle   
curiosity getting the better of her she edged cautiously   
along the treeline, then glimpsed inside the small building   
through the crack of a partially opened door.  
  
The Ferrari Testarossa was red -- flame red, blood red,   
cherry red, take your pick. The golden eyed redhead smiled   
involuntarily, recalling the few times she'd seen Nephrite   
in his mortal guise behind the wheel of the sexy car.   
Spying it here, now, was just the sort of confirmation she   
had been hoping for when she had realized that if the child   
that had run from her was truly Nephrite, he'd go to ground   
at someplace he considered comfortably safe and familiar.   
Her heart beat faster yet as she moved on silent feet, a   
shadow among shadows, from the garage up to the rail of the   
verandah. Prowling along it, she crept toward the windows   
where light streamed out into the darkness; stepping back   
far enough to avoid the illumination that spilled across the   
stained wooden planking of the verandah, she moved sideways   
to peer through the window, her keen gaze easily scanning   
the room beyond.  
  
It appeared to be some sort of drawing room or parlor,   
sparsely furnished and arranged so that three or four groups   
of people could be comfortably seated and carry on   
conversations. Despite the lack of furnishings, the quality   
alone kept the room from being Spartan, giving it a refined   
and elegant atmosphere. The walls were painted above the   
wainscoting in a pastel blue that matched the rose printed   
wallpaper underneath, lending a peaceful feeling to the   
chamber. Antique chairs, love seats and a divan -- all   
made of what looked like light-stained oak and upholstered   
in rich, deep blue velvet -- were set up to take advantage   
of the room's four corners, creating four sitting areas.   
Covering the hardwood floor in the center was an Oriental   
rug loomed in shades of white, off-white and blue.  
  
Despite the richness of the chamber, what caught Siolan's   
attention was the pair of people in the room. The boy that   
had slammed into her earlier was here, just as she had hoped   
and prayed, sitting stiffly on the divan, his entire body   
language one of guardedness. Positioned dead center on the   
backless sofa pushed up against the wall, the fluffy, blue   
velvet pillows to either side ignored, the auburn haired   
teenager was drinking what looked like a can of diet soda.   
*Odd... I never expected something like that would appeal to   
him...*  
  
The other person in the room was a tall, athletic-appearing   
girl, her rich brunette hair pulled up into a topknot   
ponytail and fastened in place with a holder decorated with   
two large, plastic green beads. Her entire stance one of   
almost belligerent control, the pretty teenager was sipping   
from a clear glass filled with what looked like lemonade,   
her gaze focused witheringly on the boy. Siolan frowned   
slightly, not exactly enchanted with the apparently hostile   
atmosphere. Both youngsters were in profile to the   
black-clad redhead, giving her the view she needed to watch   
the expressions on their faces as they continued their   
conversation.  
  
"So let me get this straight," the brunette girl was   
responding, after taking a sip of her lemonade, while the   
redheaded eavesdropper shifted herself into a comfortable   
position. "I'm supposed to believe that you've been running   
around the city revisiting the victims of your   
energy-gathering escapades just so that you can somehow make   
it up to them? Seems rather incredible to me, Nephrite."  
  
Antique-gold eyes stared at the profile of the boy on the   
divan. Just hearing the other female speak that name made   
Sonya's heart leap again in her chest. Would he confirm or   
deny the identity? Would she at least *know* one way or   
another if the impossible was somehow true?  
  
"Believe whatever you want, Lita, but it's the *truth*," the   
auburn haired teenager sullenly replied, his jade-green gaze   
focused on his can of soda, the eyes narrowed in annoyance.   
"I was never out to hurt anyone, not this time." He fell   
silent, a pause of both embarrassment and anger. "Are you...   
all right? Is Peter?"  
  
"Hmph. You're not going to fool me with that fake show of   
sympathy, Nephrite," Lita shot back, her voice still   
reflecting her anger. "I know that, deep down, you really   
don't *care*."  
  
"Damn it! Look, if I didn't care, I wouldn't ask in the   
first place. What? Are you so myopic that you need   
glasses?" The boy shifted his position, seriously   
considering jumping up and making the altercation physical   
after all. "Please, just tell me if you and Peter are all   
right!"  
  
The tall female frowned, catching the almost desperate   
sincerity in Nathan's voice. Sighing, deciding to give him   
the benefit of the doubt, Lita nodded, her ponytail swaying   
gently with the movement. "Yeah, we're both fine. A bit   
shaken up, but not really hurt. I think Peter's going to   
end up with a few bruises out of the deal."  
  
"That's good news," Nephrite responded, feeling a sudden   
weight lifted from his shoulders. "I was so scared that I'd   
blown it..."  
  
"You said that you were given a second chance, that you're   
going around trying to atone for what happened. If that's   
the case, then why the hell were Peter and I almost blown to   
pieces? Huh? Answer me that, Mr.   
I'm-A-Reformed-Negaverse-General."  
  
Jade green eyes glared back at the brunette teen. "You   
interfered, if you really want to know. That energy wasn't   
meant for you, just Peter, and it was attuned to him. The   
moment you touched it, it exploded."  
  
"Hold on right there, bub! You also said you were human   
now. If that's *really* the case, then you shouldn't be   
able to do anything at all like what happened," Lita   
protested.  
  
Still sullen, Nephrite shrugged his shoulders. "I *can't*,   
save for one thing. I *can* call on one ability; I'm able to   
leave a mark on someone that essentially ties them in,   
subconsciously, to the very flow of the universe. The end   
result is that they can sense the flow of time and events at   
the very core of their soul, and that leads them to   
subconsciously choose the most favorable course for their   
circumstances."  
  
Lita glared back. "Mind putting that into terms I can   
understand?"  
  
"Very simply, then..." Ignoring the girl's nasty expression,   
Nathan took a sip of his soda, then lowered the can. "They   
will appear to have the most extraordinarily good luck   
compared to everyone else. Things of a beneficial nature   
will seem to always be happening to them and they will be   
accused of always 'lucking out'."  
  
"Okay, whatever you say," the athletic girl responded, her   
voice still sounding very skeptical. "And I suppose you   
have *no* idea at all why General Blondie is running around   
causing trouble."  
  
"General *who*?" Nephrite echoed, youthful face taking on a   
startled look.  
  
"Oh, you know: Tall, silver-haired, pretty slick with a pair   
of purple energy boomerangs . . ."  
  
Jade green eyes stared at Lita for a long, silent moment.   
*Only one person she could be talking about, but...*how*?*   
"Kunzite? Do you mean *Kunzite*?"  
  
"Yeah, sure... *Play* stupid with me and see how far you   
get, Nephrite." Growling softly to herself, Lita strode   
sharply over to an endtable next to the divan and set her   
glass down on the surface of the polished wood. Turning to   
glare at the other teen, she folded her arms over her rather   
ample chest. "Maybe I should just punch your lights out   
again on general principle. *Yes*, I mean Kunzite.   
Apparently he's just as dead as you are."  
  
Out on the verandah, Sonya narrowed her antique gold eyes   
and *glared* at the ponytailed girl. Suppressing the growl   
that tried to well up in her throat at the thought of anyone   
punching the boy Nephrite had somehow become, let alone some   
upstart child with an overblown sense of self-importance as   
this girl seemed to be, the redheaded eavesdropper shifted   
her position slightly. The time was to be watchful and   
patient, not to rush into a situation hastily, no matter the   
provocation.  
  
"I thought he was dead..." Nephrite frowned, confusion and a   
sense of foreboding washing over him.  
  
"So did I," Lita growled, continuing to drill the other teen   
with her cold, forest green stare. "And not only that, but   
he's apparently picked up a new friend as well. Some guy not   
quite as tall, with dark hair and dressed all in black."  
  
"Yes, Kunzite would be slightly taller," Nephrite mused,   
leaning against the wallpaper-covered surface behind his   
athletic body.  
  
Lita immediately narrowed her eyes in suspicion, catching   
the reaction of the other teenager. "You know who that guy   
is, don't you?"  
  
Dark hair glimmered with auburn fire from the room's   
illumination as the boy nodded in reply. "Yes, I do. And   
that guy is most likely the reason why Kunzite is alive   
again. I knew that he'd Called all of us back to   
himself..."  
  
The tall brunette frowned in irritation. She didn't like not   
getting what the former Negaverse general was telling her;   
apparently a big piece of the puzzle was still missing. "Who   
*is* he?" she insisted, frustration tinging her voice with a   
soft growl.  
  
Nephrite calmly took a drink of his soda, using the action   
to mask his internal apprehension. Something was up; there   
was no reason for Lita to even know about Lord Obsidian,   
even if she were a Senshi, as her knowledge about Nephrite's   
own former identity had proven. The Lord of Lithos,   
historically, had little interest in what happened on the   
third planet of the Gemlords' home star system; Obsidian   
usually had far more cosmic concerns on his mind. Lowering   
his hand, fingers still curled around the cold, aluminum   
can, Nephrite gazed at the annoyed girl. "He's my people's   
ruler, the one in charge of us all."  
  
Outside, the redheaded eavesdropper perked her ears up.   
This was something unexpected. She had always assumed that   
Nephrite was a denizen of the Negaverse, though she had   
often wondered how there could have been an individual so   
untwisted and actually pleasant-appearing among the hordes   
under Beryl's command. That the former general had come   
from elsewhere actually made more sense, but now Sonya   
couldn't help but wonder who that ruler and those people   
were.  
  
"Does this 'ruler' of yours have a name?" Lita shot back,   
not liking the somewhat evasive answer.  
  
Nephrite looked at his rather unwanted guest and smirked.   
"Of course he does. It's Obsidian, Lord of Lithos, Guardian   
of Space."  
  
The ponytailed brunette blinked, frowning. For some reason,   
that name rang a bell; it meant *something*, caused some   
shadowy memory to stir. For a fleeting moment, she could see   
herself standing up on a dais, resplendent in royal robes of   
green and silver, emeralds twinkling at ears, throat and   
within her intricately-styled hair, looking down at a   
handsome, royal-appearing man dressed all in black and gold   
as he knelt before Queen Serenity's throne.  
  
Sonya too recognized the name. Putting up a hand and leaning   
against the wall in shock, feeling suddenly light-headed,   
she could only think, stunned, *By the Great Dragon, the   
*Guardian of Space*? But then that would mean that...*  
  
Just then, the insistent beeping of some sort of pager-like   
device sounded, breaking through Sonya's mental reverie.   
Shattering the uneasy silence of the drawing room, Nephrite   
fixed Lita with his jade green gaze. "Sounds like someone's   
trying to get a hold of you. There's a phone out in the   
hallway on a table about three doors down from here."  
  
Relief flooded through the tall girl as she realized that   
the other teen was assuming that the sound was that of an   
ordinary beeper. The last thing she wanted the former   
Negaverse general to know was that she was one of those   
Senshi his comrade generals fought against. Dreading   
answering the communicator -- she was certain she was going   
to get an earful for not being with the others -- Lita gave   
Nephrite a cool smile. "Thanks. I'll be right back. Don't   
go anywhere." Glaring at him for a moment to make sure he   
understood she meant it, the ponytailed teenager strode over   
to the door and disappeared through it, pulling it shut   
after herself.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," the auburn haired boy muttered to   
himself, sullenly leaning back against the wall. Though he   
was tempted to get the hell out of there while Lita was   
otherwise occupied, the fact remained that it was *his*   
house and *his* space that had been invaded. If anyone was   
going to retreat, it would be her. *Just as soon as I find a   
way of getting rid of her without getting beaten up, that   
is...*  
  
*I wonder what she's doing?* Sonya mused to herself. Had   
she been the one in there interrogating the boy Nephrite   
apparently was now and was the one so totally in control, no   
amount of paging would have diverted her attention away from   
getting the answers she'd wanted. She would have let the   
damned thing beep, then would have turned it off. Figuring   
that the page must be something rather important then, the   
redheaded eavesdropper rose from her crouch and silently   
padded along the verandah.  
  
Though she had never taken the chance of letting that witch   
Beryl know that she was very much alive and keeping an eye   
on the stargazing general, Sonya had come to Nephrite's   
house on the gloomy, pine-covered hill those few times she'd   
seen him out driving the Ferrari and had looked over the   
place. From what she recalled of the layout of the mansion,   
the kitchen was at the rear of the house, with the verandah   
running along this side and around the corner to form the   
back entryway into the kitchen. Slipping around said   
corner, the black-clad woman knelt down before the door and   
made a quick assessment of the lock on it. Sliding her hand   
into the pocket of her pants, Sonya fished out some of her   
tools of the trade. *I'm sure I have the right one for   
this. Here's hoping you're confident enough in no one coming   
up here to bother you that you don't have an electronic   
alarm, Nephrite...*  
  
Out in the hallway, Lita took one last, long look around   
before striding over to the phone she saw just where her   
captive audience at told her it would be. Pulling the   
communicator from her pocket, she frowned and steeled   
herself to face the music. After all, she was supposed to   
have stayed with Amy and Serena. Knowing that she wasn't   
exactly following directions, she had turned the   
communicator off as she had trailed behind the suspected   
ex-Negaverse general, but had decided to be prudent and turn   
it back on again right before she had pounded on Nathan's   
front door. Facing the door to the drawing room and keeping   
a wary eye on it, the ponytailed girl touched the button   
that would connect her with whichever of the Senshi that   
were trying to reach her. "Lita here."  
  
"Where *have* you been?" The voice that growled back at   
her was Raye's; the fiery priestess's expression was furious   
indeed over the small circular viewscreen, though Lita did   
catch the brief look of relief that crossed Raye's face   
before the priestess opened her mouth. "We've been trying   
to reach you for quite a while."  
  
"I'm sorry, Raye, but something came up..."  
  
"Never mind that. Get to the temple now. We've got   
problems," Raye's voice cut through any on-the-spot   
explanation the athletic brunette could try to offer.  
  
"Something's happened, hasn't it?" A deeply guilty,   
sinking feeling settled in the pit of Lita's stomach. She'd   
been derelict in following directions and someone else paid   
for that. Even so, she had been so *sure* she had been   
doing the right thing. After all, Nephrite could have been   
doing something awful to his former victims.  
  
"Just get here," Raye shot back. "We'll tell you all about   
it."  
  
"Okay. I'm on my way. Sorry, Raye. I was sure I was   
doing the right thing..." Even to herself, her words   
sounded lame, inadequate.  
  
"One more thing, Lita," the tall brunette heard over the   
communicator as she started to disconnect and slip it back   
into her pocket. "Zoisite's back."  
  
Forest-green eyes narrowed at the sound of the   
supposedly-gone Negaverse general's reappearance. As Lita   
let that sink in, another pair of eyes narrowed as well.   
Crouching in the shadows at the end of the hall, her ears   
tuned for the slightest whisper, Sonya felt a jolt of   
vindictive anger rush through her. Zoisite was responsible   
for Nephrite's death. Zoisite's youma and Zoisite's   
machinations had taken from her the one person that meant   
the world to herself. *That petal-throwing, ponytailed brat   
had better not cross my path again,* the redheaded sneak   
silently vowed. *Or she's going to *pay* for everything she   
did to Nephrite. And if she tries hurting him again, she'll   
wish she'd never been born.*  
  
"I'll be careful. I'm on my way. Lita out." Taking a   
breath, the tall girl put the calculator-like device back   
into the pocket of her snug-fitting pants, then eyed the   
drawing room door again. She should just leave right now   
and let Nephrite stew in there, wondering when she'd be   
back. Even so, she didn't want to be quite that rude.   
Swiftly crossing the space once more, she pulled open the   
door and glared at the boy still sitting on the divan.   
"Something's come up and I have to go. Believe me, Nephrite.   
We are not finished with this conversation."  
  
"What's going on?" Whatever the page had been about, it   
looked like it was some serious business, judging from the   
expression on the other teen's face. As he looked at her,   
the light from her rose earrings caught his eye again, and   
once more the memory of himself handing Princess Jupiter a   
pair of glittering earrings just like them filled his mind.   
Feeling oddly lightheaded, Nephrite slowly stood up.   
"Jupiter?" he softly whispered, not sure whether he hoped   
she would affirm his sudden suspicion or deny it.  
  
For just a fraction of a second, Lita's shock was evident on   
her pretty face. Then the tall brunette swiftly recovered,   
a cold, dark expression on her visage. Without another   
word, she firmly shut the door, cutting the boy from her   
field of vision -- and cutting him from any accidental   
discovery that his soft word had shaken her equilibrium.   
*No, don't think about *that*, Lita. Keep your mind focused   
on the fact that something's up and Zoisite's out there.*   
Pivoting on a foot, she dashed over the carpet-adorned,   
hardwood floor and threw open the front door.  
  
Even after the heavy oaken door had shut, Sonya remained in   
her crouched position, waiting, watching. It didn't take   
long at all for the youth she now knew was Nephrite to step   
from the drawing room and glance around. Just as she   
started to move from her position and let him know how   
grateful she was to have found him again, her impulsive   
desire was cut short by the boy's own actions.  
  
"I just know something's wrong," Nephrite muttered to   
himself, a quick glance confirming his suspicion that Lita   
had left. Swift strides took him to the main entry; he   
tugged the door open and looked around into the   
night-darkened yard. Not seeing her right away, he sighed   
and stepped out onto the porch, absently pushing the catch   
to lock the door as he shut it behind himself. Lita was   
probably already on her way down the tree-lined driveway   
that wound up the forested hill. Guilt stabbed at him,   
spurring him onward. If she was, somehow, Princess Jupiter,   
he owed her. Weak human that he was, he still was obliged   
to help her out somehow. In a very real sense, Princess   
Jupiter had been his first victim, and deserved recompense   
even more than any of the others who had had their energy   
stolen. Only Molly came close to having an equally   
deserving debt. Steeling his nerve, he descended the   
stairway from the porch, then loped after his departing   
guest.  
  
So close, Sonya growled to herself as the door was   
symbolically slammed in her face. Fluidly rising from her   
hunched-over position, she quickly crossed the length of the   
hallway, then operated the catch.   
Pulling it open, she carefully peeked through the exposed   
crack to the area beyond, then softly swore when she   
realized that Nephrite had already left. Slipping through   
the doorway, the black-clad redhead tugged the door closed,   
her keen hearing listening for any audible clue. There...   
the sound of footsteps on the winding, gravel driveway.   
Zeroing in on the sound, Sonya slipped over to the margin of   
vegetation lining the circular drive and began stealthily   
following Nephrite once more. Heart pounding in her chest   
at the mere thought of a reunion, she was determined to make   
that come true -- but her curiosity in what was going on   
made her want to wait and see what was happening. After   
all, it was much better walking into a situation knowing   
about it than being ignorant.  
  
************************************  
  
**Zoisite! Attend me, please. At once.**  
  
Violet-blue eyes flew open as the mental summons cut through   
her sleeping mind. Instantly awake, the slender Gemlord sat   
up; her long, loose, copper-gold hair gave her upper torso   
the only covering at the moment as she turned her gaze to   
the man lying next to her. A sweet smile crossed her face,   
remembering just how *good* he had made her feel. For a   
short time, it didn't matter that her Element and herself   
were out of balance, or that she was mistrusted, or that she   
was someone responsible for a large number of evil actions.   
For that time, Zoisite was wanted, loved and important. Even   
if, deep down inside, Garnet had pretended she was someone   
else.  
  
**I'll be there immediately, my lord,** she responded,   
carefully slipping from the comfortable bed. Even so, the   
redheaded man stirred slightly, rolling onto his side.   
Still, he seemed still very much asleep as Zoisite stood up   
and gracefully stretched her nude form. A moment of   
concentration and a shimmer of violet-blue light, and once   
again her slender body was clothed in a short tunic,   
knee-high boots and short cape, her silver and tanzanite   
circlet glimmering from under her silky bangs. Another   
moment of concentration and she was gone, teleporting from   
Garnet's room in a swirl of cherry blossom petals.  
  
Violet eyes opened then, watching the last of the Water   
Warrior's floral confetti mystically fade to nothing. Garnet   
frowned slightly; something was up, obviously, because it   
wasn't like Zoisite to just leave. No, she had to have been   
called away. In light of what she had told him -- of   
Obsidian apparently hunting down and robbing the Senshi of   
the Sol system of their powers, of gathering together gems   
apparently guarded within the sacred centers of the Senshis'   
castles, and of Obsidian willing to smack Sailor Mercury   
silly -- Garnet knew something was wrong. And it was   
apparently about to get worse...  
  
************************************  
  
The dark ruler of the Tower was already there before the   
eerily reflective surface of the Vortex Mirror when Zoisite   
teleported in. As her shimmering pink petals faded around   
her, she noted that Kunzite was standing off to the side,   
his back almost against the table of soulstones. At the   
Fire Warrior's stony expression, Zoisite could feel the   
hurtful alienation welling up within herself once more. She   
just knew; it was going to be a very long time before the   
proud, silver-haired Gemlord would forgive her.  
  
"Zoisite..." Obsidian murmured in acknowledgment of the   
Water Warrior's appearance. Still standing before the   
seven-foot tall Symbol of Space, his back to the youngest   
Gemlord, Obsidian's reflection showed that he was looking at   
her image in the depths of the Mirror.  
  
The woman addressed saluted. "Yes, my lord?"  
  
"Watch and the next target will appear."  
  
Kunzite frowned slightly, focusing his gaze on the   
dark-haired man. "So soon, my lord?"  
  
Unseen and unnoticed, his aura tightly cloaked with his   
ability to be "invisible" to the telepathic senses of his   
fellow Gemlords, Garnet appeared in the vestibule just   
outside the majestic Hall of the Mirror. Back plastered up   
against the black stone wall, he carefully leaned forward   
and peeked through the archway leading into the circular   
chamber. There, on the opposite side of the room, he could   
see the Guardian of Space before the shimmering slab of   
obsidian that was the Gateway between all places that exist,   
the bright copper-gold hair and violet-blue clothing of   
Zoisite's figure standing a respectful distance behind him.   
Off to the side, almost hidden by the stones of the   
entryway, stood Kunzite; the Fire Warrior seemed to almost   
be standing guard over that long, low table that had somehow   
become the morbid focus for *something*.  
  
Obsidian turned, long gold-trimmed sable cape swirling   
around his form, and glared at the tall, silver-haired   
Gemlord. "Are you *questioning* my authority, Kunzite?"  
  
"No, my lord..." Kunzite's slight frown deepened almost   
imperceptively. Lowering his head in obeisance, he added, "I   
was surprised, that's all."  
  
In the vestibule, Garnet blinked in startlement. Again, the   
redheaded spy couldn't shake the feeling that something   
wasn't quite *right* with the Lord of Lithos. Obsidian   
didn't usually have such a hair-trigger temper.  
  
"I see." Apparently mollified by the other's answer,   
Obsidian turned his attention back to the reflective surface   
of the black glassed Mirror. Bowing his head and   
concentrating, once more he began to draw on the powers of   
the Symbol.  
  
Garnet continued to watch from his unseen observation point   
as the ruler of the Gemlords intoned an ancient command in   
his rich baritone voice. "Great Mirror of the Vortex, to   
whom all ways are open and no place unknown, hear my   
command." At the words, the shimmering surface of the   
Mirror began to glow with its characteristic deep,   
blackish-green light, and the swirl of gathering energies   
began to be felt by Garnet's psychic senses. Neither   
Zoisite nor Kunzite seemed to think that whatever Obsidian   
was about to do was anything unusual; though he couldn't see   
his little sister's face and could only see the Fire Warrior   
in profile, the young spy could tell from their relaxed   
stances that this was something expected. Tightening his   
own cloaking ability -- it was, hopefully, a good bet that   
the other three assumed he was still sleeping -- Garnet   
continued to watch the unfolding events.  
  
At Obsidian's graceful gesture with his hands, the Mirror   
shone brighter, the rising energies whirling in the circular   
chamber becoming strong enough to manifest in a breeze that   
ruffled silken hair and made capes ripple. "Gaze beyond the   
realms of shadow and illusion. Turn aside false reflections,   
cut through magic and power. Show me the true image I seek,"   
the Guardian of Space chanted. Garnet frowned at the words,   
recognizing them as a focus for pitting the strength of the   
Mirror to show a place that exists against the power of   
something used to distort reality. With a sudden feeling of   
dread in the pit of his stomach, the redheaded Gemlord   
realized that he was watching his ruler -- his *friend* --   
preparing to ambush another of the Senshi that guarded the   
Solar system, using the might of the Symbol he guarded to   
strip away the protective illusion that kept the Senshi from   
being known by the general population.  
  
The Vortex Mirror took on the glimmering, watery appearance   
it always did when it was energized enough to span the   
distances between its location and wherever it was its   
master wished it to focus on. With Garnet still watching in   
dread fascination, Obsidian lifted his head and gazed into   
the liquid depths of the Mirror, calling out the final   
phrase to send the energies gathered out into the Cosmos to   
find the object of his search. "Show me the Soldier of the   
planet Jupiter!"  
  
His body now glowing with the same blackish-green light as   
the Symbol of Space, Obsidian held his pose as the surface   
of the Mirror rippled and shimmered, the psychic wind still   
swirling within the confines of the Hall of the Mirror.   
Violet eyes narrowing at the breeze blowing into his face,   
Garnet kept his focus on the glowing rectangle of black   
glass, breathlessly waiting for the image to appear.  
  
Darkness greeted the sight of the Gemlords watching, a   
darkness that soon resolved itself into the shadows of a   
night-shrouded scene. The figure of a lone girl took shape   
within the depths of the Mirror, a tall brunette of athletic   
build and determined expression, her topknot ponytail   
swaying gracefully as she ran along a city sidewalk. Whoever   
she was, she looked like she was in a hurry. And there, on   
her forehead, glowed the green glyph of the planet Jupiter.  
  
Violet-blue eyes getting huge, Zoisite gasped in   
recognition. She *knew* this girl, remembered how the   
brunette had gotten a lucky strike in and punched her in the   
mouth. *Well, well... Time for a bit of payback then. Maybe   
this wouldn't be so bad after all.* Her sensual lips curling   
into a sly smile, Zoisite's eyes narrowed as she stared at   
the Terran's image.  
  
The Western Commander's reaction wasn't unnoticed. Turning   
around, Obsidian looked over the blond woman standing behind   
himself. "You know her?"  
  
"Let's just say that our paths have crossed before, my lord.   
Yes, I had an encounter with her when she wasn't Sailor   
Jupiter," Zoisite replied.  
  
Obsidian gave her a stern look. "Same orders as before,   
Commander. Understood? She is not to be harmed save what it   
takes to take her into custody."  
  
Zoisite saluted in acknowledgment. "Of course, my lord. I   
shall do my best to carry out my orders."  
  
Turning back to gaze at the image of the running girl,   
Obsidian considered the circumstances for a moment. "Go   
then, Commander. At the moment, she seems relatively alone."   
Stepping away from the front of the Mirror, taking up a   
position next to the vitreous prison of Sailor Andromeda,   
the Guardian of Space kept his gaze on Zoisite.  
  
"As you wish, my lord." Another respectful salute and she   
was gone, graceful form almost leaping through the watery   
gateway of the Mirror to disappear into the depths of the   
scene being shown.  
  
Still peeking through the archway, it took most of Garnet's   
will to force himself to stay there and not say or do   
anything. It was one thing to hear Zoisite's tearful words   
of the assaults, but to actually *see* it happening... He   
could hardly believe it, even seeing it with his own eyes.  
  
Obsidian then looked over to the lavender-caped Gemlord   
standing by the table littered with the soulstones of their   
people. "Keep an eye on our dear Western Warrior. I   
recognized the look on her face when she saw the Senshi.   
She's got a score to settle with that one."  
  
Kunzite nodded. "Yes, she does. I recall Zoisite returning   
with the first Rainbow Crystal and complaining about some   
brute of a Terran that socked her in the mouth and made her   
bleed."  
  
"Ah... Yes, that would be the sort of thing Zoisite would   
expect to avenge," Obsidian acknowledged. "Very well. I   
leave it up to you to make sure that your charge doesn't   
forget herself and disrupt my plans with her pettiness."   
Gesturing toward the Mirror, the dark lord added, "Go,   
Commander. Let Zoisite handle it herself, but intervene if   
it looks like she's going to cause problems or lose the   
quarry."  
  
"As you wish, my lord," Kunzite responded, with a salute.   
Swiftly covering the distance between the table and the   
Mirror, the tall Fire Warrior disappeared after his former   
lover into the depths of the Symbol of Space. 


	8. Thunderstruck

THUNDERSTRUCK   
  
  
*Thump, thump, thump, thump...*  
  
The sounds of rapid footfalls on the sidewalk seemed   
unusually loud, adding a rhythm to the urgency of the   
moment. Her long legs eating up the distance with each   
jogging stride, her topknot ponytail of brunette hair   
swaying with each step, Lita's mind focused on one thing:   
there must have been another attack. Perhaps even now,   
another one of them was robbed of her powers.  
  
Guilt tore at her, yet she knew she was partially in the   
right. After all, she had confirmed two things: Nathan   
Stanford had once been the Negaverse general known as   
Nephrite *and* he wasn't involved in the attacks on the   
Senshi. Not only that, but he seemed to know about the man   
that *was* involved.  
  
She loped across an intersection, there being virtually no   
traffic at all on the night-shrouded, residential street.   
Looking ahead, she saw the local cemetery, and frowned at   
the reminder. Zoisite was out there, somewhere, somehow   
back from the dead to plague them once again. It was here on   
the grounds of this very same place that the vicious little   
general had attempted to take the Orange Rainbow Crystal   
from the priest and had attacked Molly. Lita remembered the   
cemetery well, having been the only Scout willing to come to   
Serena's aid at that time. It was a slightly creepy place,   
filled with old, elaborate headstones; on a night like this,   
she could almost believe that a ghost or three haunted it as   
well.  
  
A wrought-iron fence enclosed the grounds, standing about   
four-foot high save for the posts which rose about half a   
foot taller. Topped off by small spheres instead of   
dangerous points, the black metal fence was more of a polite   
reminder that the land within was holy ground than it was   
intended to keep people out. This was even more apparent by   
the fact that at the corner that abutted the intersection, a   
rose-covered gazebo made something of an open gateway for   
foot traffic to step into the cemetery from the street.  
  
Emerald eyes focused on the flower-adorned entrance, Lita   
swallowed hard and veered toward the gazebo. *So what if   
it's a creepy place and it's dark out? You've got to get to   
the temple in a hurry, Lita,* the brunette teen told   
herself, gathering up her determination and courage. Taking   
a path through the cemetery would certainly shorten her   
time. A second more and she was past the point of no return;   
as she had done months ago but under very different   
circumstances, the tall, athletic girl dashed and weaved her   
way among the various headstones, memorials and statues that   
littered the sacred precincts of the cemetery grounds.  
  
Back out at the residential street, another figure jogged   
down the sidewalk, waiting for a lone car to drive by before   
darting across the street. Jade-green eyes remaining focused   
on the wooden structure ahead, the moonlight making the   
roses covering it seemingly glow with a pale light -- they   
were white, the color of death, he noted -- Nathan continued   
following the fleeing girl. He *owed* her; maybe helping   
her out with whatever problem it was she was having would be   
a start toward paying her back for what he had done to her   
at the end of the Silver Millennium. Trying not to lose   
sight of her among the many memorials there in the   
graveyard, the athletic boy picked a path through the graves   
that would at least keep up with the running brunette.  
  
She always did like cherry trees, though it was Kunzite's   
love of the falling petals that had inspired her to shift   
her feminine form's teleport field to display a flurry of   
the pretty things. Sitting perched up on a sturdy branch of   
a cherry tree -- one of many surrounding a small fountain in   
the center of the old cemetery -- Zoisite gleefully smiled a   
predatory grin as her violet-blue gaze followed the progress   
of the running girl. *Just a matter of moments and I'll bag   
myself that *child* that dared punch me in the face...* The   
Water Warrior couldn't help but feel thrilled at the   
concept.  
  
Waiting for the tall brunette jogging down the gravel path   
to pass under her, Zoisite gracefully stood, balancing   
herself easily on the gently swaying branch. This was going   
to be so easy...  
  
The boy was proving to be something of an annoyance, but in   
a good way, Sonya decided. Apparently whatever had happened   
to him hadn't robbed him of a thousand years of experience,   
though she could tell that he wasn't even seriously   
considering the possibility that he was being followed. She   
smiled to herself at that; she didn't want him to know just   
yet that he was.  
  
If she had still been unsure, she wouldn't be now. In just   
watching him as he ran after the girl that had been   
interrogating him, Sonya could see so many little mannerisms   
in the youth that gave him away to one that had known him   
intimately. The way he moved, the manner in which he paused   
for a moment to regain his bearings, the characteristic tilt   
of his head as he watched his quarry before running after   
her again -- all of them bespoke of the man he had been in   
the Negaverse's control. That he seemed to be free of that   
dark control only further heightened her internal elation.  
  
Leaning back against the corner of a residence, antique-gold   
eyes narrowed slightly as she observed her target dash   
through the plant-enshrouded gazebo, her mood deflating a   
bit. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that   
she was watching her precious Nephrite -- young and   
defenseless now -- plunge back into the endless night of   
that unforgiving realm. *No, I won't let that happen again,*   
Sonya grimly thought. *I won't let anything mess with him   
anymore.*  
  
Antique-gold eyes filled with a determined light, the   
black-clad redhead pushed herself away from the house's   
siding and crossed the road in an easy, graceful lope. No   
way was she going to lose sight of him a second time.  
  
*Three... Two... One...* Violet-blue eyes narrowed in   
concentration as each running step took the ponytailed girl   
just that much closer to where Zoisite waited. *Now!* The   
Western Commander stepped off the cherry tree branch and   
into the air, revealing herself to her prey with a mocking   
laugh.  
  
"*Zoisite*!" Lita hissed, instantly recognizing that sound.   
Looking up into the night sky, her forest green eyes grew   
wide as sight confirmed what sound and Raye had told her.   
The golden-blond Negaverse *witch* was back, though Lita   
instantly noticed that her foe wasn't wearing the expected   
gray uniform. Still, that wasn't a detail to be dwelling on.   
No, she had to get under cover and transform so that she   
could kick the floating woman's skinny little butt. No way   
was she going to go down without a fight.  
  
"Well, well, what *do* we have here?" Zoisite purred, a   
smirk on her pretty face. "Guess what, Senshi? *Now* I have   
time to play with little girls." Her face suddenly taking on   
a furious expression, the ponytailed Gemlord raised her hand   
and pointed at her target in a characteristic gesture.   
"*Zoi*!"  
  
*Figures the little sneak would do something like that,* the   
athletic brunette thought to herself as a burst of energy   
and a leap to the side kept her from being blasted by the   
telekinetic wind and cherry blossom assault. Already well   
aware of the other woman's knowledge that she was one of the   
Scouts, Lita fumbled around in her pocket for her   
transformation pen. A quick glance upward showed the   
teenager that Zoisite was preparing for another attack.   
"I'll show you, Negadweeb!" she shouted as she held the gold   
topped green pen high.  
  
"No, I think I'd rather show *you*!" the slender Gemlord   
retorted, gliding down fast, feet first. Hovering in the   
air, Zoisite aimed and kicked out with a violet-blue boot,   
connecting with the pen.  
  
Lita gasped, feeling her hold on her transformational item   
broken. A swift look was all she needed to see the Jupiter   
pen fall to the ground a few paces away. Furious, she leapt   
upward, latched onto Zoisite's slender leg and let gravity   
pull the two of them back down.  
  
Utterly shocked, the Water Warrior let out a shriek of   
surprise and indignation as she felt herself be yanked down.   
"Let *go*, you Terran brute!"  
  
"Oh, I'll let go, all right. I'll let you go right into the   
ground!" Lita shot back, bracing herself the moment her feet   
were firmly on the earth again. Using her foe's momentum to   
advantage, the tall brunette executed a flawless flip, one   
that slammed Zoisite straight into the gravel at Lita's   
feet.  
  
*What in the name of the Cosmos... ?* Nathan thought to   
himself, hearing feminine shouting up ahead. Redoubling his   
efforts, he ran between graves and headstones. *Sounds like   
Lita might be in trouble! I need to help her!*  
  
The blue-clad Gemlord's slender body bounced off the   
unforgiving land before coming to rest against the gravel   
pathway. Ignoring the pain and trying to shake off the   
slightly stunned sensation that filled her, Zoisite rolled   
over and pointed a hand in the direction she could feel her   
foe's psychic presence. Again she shouted her cry; this time   
the telekinetic blast was filled with cherry petals that   
morphed into deadly little shards of ice.  
  
Once more Lita had been expecting something like that. Seems   
as if having being dead didn't change Zoisite's tactics much   
at all. Leaping to the side -- unfortunately in a direction   
that took her away from the Jupiter pen lying there   
glittering in the grass -- the tall Senshi growled under her   
breath, then covered the distance between herself and the   
downed warrioress in a couple of long-limbed strides. Even   
as the golden-blonde woman was attempting to get back to her   
feet, Lita tossed a punch that took Zoisite straight in the   
gut. With a *whoof* of suddenly-lost breath, the slender   
Western Commander ended up a doubled-up heap of gold and   
violet-blue on the ground once more. Hoping she had enough   
time before Zoisite recovered to grab her pen and transform,   
Lita planted her foot to come to a sudden stop, then spun   
and ran in the opposite direction. *Have to get my pen and   
finish the job on her...*  
  
Nathan skidded to a halt, jade-green eyes wide in amazement.   
To his left, the familiar figure of the Water Warrior--now   
dressed in what appeared to be ordinary, everyday Lithosian   
clothing -- was pulling herself up from being a heap on the   
ground, while to his right, he could see Lita running up to   
a certain spot and then dropping to her knees, obviously   
looking for something. *Cosmos! Lord Obsidian must have   
given the order for an attack on Jupiter.*  
  
By all rights, he should be dashing in to help his fellow   
Elemental. Nathan rejected that idea on the spot. He wasn't   
a Gemlord now, merely a human, and his quest to redeem   
himself was more important than anything else. Despite it   
being the Guardian of Space himself that was ordering this,   
it was wrong -- and not like the Lord Obsidian that he'd   
long known.  
  
Even as the auburn haired boy continued to watch the   
altercation from a short distance away, Zoisite got shakily   
to her feet, a low growl sounding from her. The Senshi was   
over there, on her hands and knees, probably looking for her   
transformation pen. "You're going to *pay* for that," the   
furious Gemlord muttered to herself, calling to her hand a   
wicked-looking sword formed of an ice crystal. Silent and   
deadly, Zoisite leapt into action, running toward the   
brunette girl.  
  
"Lita! Look out!" Nathan took off in a shot, dashing forward   
in trajectory that would take him to the ponytailed human.  
  
Gasping in surprise at the new voice, Lita looked up, then   
froze in momentary shock, seeing Zoisite sprinting toward   
her with a coldly glittering sword in hand.  
  
"I've got you now, Terran!" the Western Commander shouted,   
too intent on her prey to see the other person closing the   
distance from the side. Bracing herself and lunging forward,   
Zoisite was determined to skewer the Senshi, but in a   
non-vital spot. She knew Lord Obsidian wouldn't be overly   
forgiving if she should happen to kill the key he needed to   
get into the sacred chamber of Io Castle.  
  
"*No*!" The shout was a long, drawn-out sound of desperation   
issued by a male voice. Lita closed her eyes and turned her   
head, bracing, expecting to feel the searing pain from the   
sword. Zoisite felt the blade connect with flesh, the force   
of the strike shuddering up her arm, then grate against   
bone, the sudden weight added to her weapon almost making   
her lose her hold. Startled at hearing a boy's voice, the   
Water Warrior looked down the length of her ice crystal --   
and into a pair of pain-filled, jade-green eyes. A shudder   
ran through her as she felt her Elemental powers stirring,   
reaching out, making a connection to this auburn-haired   
human transfixed on her sword. To her utter astonishment,   
Zoisite watched as a green square mystically glowed on the   
center of the youth's forehead, and she knew without looking   
that the tanzanite in the center of her circlet was   
responding with the blue triangle in its depths.  
  
*So that's what happened to Nephrite...*  
  
She was only a step or two away from the gazebo when she   
heard the desperate shout; the fact that it was the boy's   
voice spurred her like nothing else could. Sonya crossed the   
floor of the gazebo in a few quick strides, emerging into   
the open air again just in time to see Nathan take the   
strike that had been meant for Lita.  
  
*No!* Her own cry was internalized, yet no softer or less   
desperate than the boy's. After so long, the habit of   
silence was ingrained in her, even in a situation like this;   
such a cry would only warn her enemy.  
  
It didn't hurt as much as he had thought it would. The youma   
thorns had been far worse than this. Even so, sweat beaded   
on Nathan's forehead as he stared back at the obviously   
shocked Gemlord. The ice crystal sword, as deadly as ever he   
silently noted, at least numbed out some of the pain from   
the sheer coldness of the blade sticking completely through   
his left shoulder. Strangely enough, he also noted that his   
hands were cold. He must be grabbing the sword...  
  
*Oh God, he's hurt,* was all that Lita's mind could focus   
on. Startled by the turn of events, she continued to kneel   
dumbfounded in the grass to the side of the gravel pathway,   
her transformation pen momentarily forgotten.  
  
She recognized Zoisite instantly, of course. She had hated   
the spoiled blonde general before, but that hate doubled at   
the sight of the other woman's ice blade sunk into the   
auburn haired boy. Sonya's mouth went dry and her gut   
clenched with the sheer force of her rage.  
  
*Nephrite,* the Western Commander's mind repeated, and with   
the name came the memories. Thousands of years of listening   
to the stargazing Earth Warrior telling her that she was too   
young or too inexperienced to take on a task or a mission,   
the knowledge that he had tried to convince Kunzite to delay   
accepting her into the Elemental Guard because of her youth,   
the many times in the training arena he had turned cold and   
callous, pushing her beyond her limits. Nephrite had   
*always* disliked her, from the very beginning, and that   
animosity had turned vicious in the Negaverse. The hatred   
came flooding back, and Zoisite's expression swiftly turned   
to one of cold fury and triumph. *Looks like I'll be able to   
dish out twice the payback...*  
  
Her approach was silent and inhumanly fast; the tableau   
still hadn't broken -- Zoisite staring at Nathan, who   
clutched at the sword through him, while Lita, kneeling on   
the grass, stared in shock -- by the time she was within   
range. The only warning she gave was a faint snarl, a sound   
that could easily be lost in the wind that sighed among the   
tombstones.  
  
Sonya's leaping kick landed perfectly, her heel taking the   
slender warrior in the solar plexus, throwing the smaller   
woman back. Zoisite managed to retain her grip on the ice   
sword, but the force of the blow along with the sudden loss   
of focus caused the blade to weaken. With a resounding   
*crack*, the crystal broke in two, part of it remaining in   
Zoisite's grip and the other part still impaled through the   
auburn haired boy's shoulder. Nathan screamed in agony as   
the torque against the breaking weapon stretched out the   
through and through wound, making the bones of his shoulder   
girdle grind against one another. Suddenly on the verge of   
fainting, the youth staggered to the side. Next to him,   
Sonya landed and whirled to catch him before he could fall.  
  
The way she held him wasn't like a simple rescuer supporting   
a victim; it was unmistakably the manner in which a lover   
holds the beloved one. That was the one thing Lita   
immediately noticed as she scrambled to her feet, broken   
from her shock by the abrupt attack against her assailant   
and Nathan's ungodly cry.  
  
"Take him and get out of here," Sonya snapped at the   
brunette girl. "I'll take care of *her*."  
  
"Just a minute--" Lita started, frowning, instantly annoyed   
by the imperious tone barked at her by the redheaded   
stranger.  
  
"Do as I say!" the black-clad woman roared in reply. It was   
so hard to make herself do it, but she released Nathan,   
letting the teenaged girl take hold of him.  
  
"I need my--" Lita tried again.  
  
*Cosmos... Got to get... Senshi...* Zoisite groaned, shaking   
off the effects of the blow from seemingly nowhere. Obsidian   
was going to be so *angry*. Keeping her mission foremost in   
her mind, doing her best to just *ignore* the pain wracking   
her petite form, the Western Commander gathered herself up   
and rose from being a heap on the ground for the third time   
that night.  
  
Sonya glanced once at the blonde woman, who was struggling   
to her feet, then flicked her gaze to the grass around Lita,   
Nathan and herself. A glint of green and gold caught her   
eye; she snagged the small object with the toe of one soft   
boot and kicked it unerringly up to her hand. Shoving it at   
Lita, she growled to the girl, "Here! Now *go*!"  
  
The ponytailed brunette took one look at the stranger's   
fierce, dragon-like eyes and decided not to argue with the   
formidable-appearing woman, especially not with a wounded   
Nathan in her grasp. A Scout's job was to protect those that   
couldn't protect themselves, and whatever the auburn haired   
youth had been before, he didn't look very capable at the   
moment. "You got it," Lita acknowledged, tugging on Nathan   
while she took a couple of steps back, preparing to make a   
swift retreat. Her plan at the moment was to get the wounded   
boy to safety, then transform and help the other take on   
Zoisite.  
  
Seeing the girl start to leave with Nathan, the redheaded   
warrioress turned her full attention to the one that started   
this entire mess. She was going to make Zoisite pay *dearly*   
for what she did to the boy. However, Sonya only had enough   
time to get her sights focused on her prey -- the slender   
blonde was standing now, swaying just a bit and trying to   
concentrate again -- before a sudden blow from out of the   
blue struck Sonya full in the back hard enough to shove the   
redhead into a nearby memorial. Even the black-clad woman's   
extraordinarily tough body had a hard time shaking off the   
effects of being slammed face first into the cold,   
unforgiving and unyielding marble tombstone. She bounced   
off the stone and fell heavily to the ground.  
  
"Zoisite! Get the Senshi! *Now*!" came a shout from behind   
where Sonya had been standing. The new voice was deep,   
masculine, commanding.  
  
Heart leaping into her throat, the Water Warrior looked over   
at the source of the order, newfound hope rising up within   
her. *Kunzite!* Gracefully spinning on a dainty, booted   
foot, the ponytailed Gemlord rushed after the fleeing pair   
as well as she could. Letting go of the energy used to keep   
her broken ice sword manifested, Zoisite redoubled her   
efforts to catch up to the Senshi, still too rattled to   
effectively teleport.  
  
As the one half of the crystal blade disappeared into thin   
air, the other half did as well. Nathan gasped as the cold   
hardness stabbed through his shoulder faded away; though the   
pain lessened as the tortured bone and flesh could return to   
their normal positions, he could now feel the slide of his   
warm blood dripping down both front and back at an alarming   
rate.  
  
The Fire Warrior stood perched atop a tall memorial, hands   
held at the ready to let loose another devastating   
telekinetic blast, white cape and silver-blond hair ruffled   
by the gentle night breeze that blew among the graves. Pale   
lavender eyes narrowed wolfishly as he watched the one that   
attacked Zoisite start to recover from his blast.  
  
Sonya feigned a dazed sluggishness, pushing herself slowly   
up with one hand and shaking her head. She caught sight of   
something in the grass next to her -- the top corner of the   
weathered marble tombstone, probably snapped off from the   
violent impact of her inhuman body. Her eyes flicked   
sideways, toward her assailant, and then narrowed coldly as   
she recognized Kunzite and the aggressive stance he held.   
With a loud groan that suggested she'd been hurt   
considerably by the attack, Sonya brought her other hand up   
to support her -- and curled her fingers around the chunk of   
marble. Its weight was comforting.  
  
She timed it well, as usual. She waited for a few seconds   
longer -- a length of time that, combined with her pretense   
of injury, was just enough to make Kunzite flick his   
pale-lavender gaze away to reassure himself that the other   
Gemlord was running off in the direction Lita had gone with   
Nathan. Then Sonya's lithe, athletic body snapped around, an   
arm hurling the stone in the same motion, directly at   
Kunzite's head.  
  
The tall man reacted just as quickly as Sonya remembered he   
should; his telekinetic blast engulfed the stone, reducing   
it to bits of gravel. He reoriented swiftly on her, but she   
was already on her feet and taking action, a liquid rush of   
movement. There was a single gleam of light from around her   
hands as she came within two steps of the marble obelisk   
upon which Kunzite stood.  
  
The silver rings on her fingers, and the bracelets and   
chains joined to them, changed. Instead of the simple   
jewelry, Sonya now wore a pair of gauntlets formed by a band   
passing around the palms of her hands and her arms just   
above the wrist, with narrow, flexible ribs connecting the   
two bands. The skeletal gauntlets supported a set of four   
curving talons, made from no Terran metal, that arched out   
over her fingers.  
  
Those metallic claws cut through the slender spire of marble   
like hot knives through butter; then she grabbed the stone   
rod and thrust upward before Kunzite could teleport or   
levitate himself out of range. With vicious accuracy, she   
aimed to strike him in the location where Gemlord males,   
like human males, were exceedingly vulnerable.  
  
Running for all she was worth, practically dragging the hurt   
and weakening boy with her, Lita made her way toward the   
other side of the cemetery. A swift look at Nathan's pale   
face, stark in the silvery light of the moon, was enough to   
make her realize that she might not be able to get him to   
safety after all. "Come *on*, Nephrite. Keep going. Just a   
little farther . . ." the brunette teen encouraged, though   
her expression remained grim. *What am I going to do? The   
nearest hospital's too far away to run there...*  
  
The redheaded woman's thrust hit true; the Southern   
Commander dropped very inelegantly from his perch to hit the   
ground hard, hands clutched protectively over his crotch   
while writhing in agony. Regardless of the obvious hurt,   
Sonya knew better. Kunzite's one tough bastard; she couldn't   
count on even *that* stopping him for too long. All she   
really needed, however, was *long enough*.  
  
Racing after Zoisite on silent feet, she was determined to   
keep the little brat occupied in order to facilitate Lita's   
escape with Nathan. Sonya *could* have simply taken him to   
safety herself and abandoned the girl to whatever Zoisite   
planned for her, but despite everything -- the destruction   
of her home, the time in the Negaverse, the soul-numbing   
pain of loss, and the years spent here on Terra -- the   
red-haired woman still felt the sting of honor, the need for   
justice, the urge to protect the helpless.  
  
Whatever Zoisite was up to, Sonya was going to see to it   
that the brat didn't get it.  
  
*********************************  
  
Garnet leaned back against the cool stone wall, wondering   
just what to do now. Much as he wanted to rush in there and   
ask his *friend* just what the hell was he doing, something   
about the Guardian of Space's body language warned him off.   
There was something just not quite right with Lord Obsidian,   
and until he could figure out what that something could be,   
the redheaded spy would need to tread carefully. Sighing   
almost soundlessly, he ran the fingers of a hand through his   
wine red colored hair. Steeling himself, he leaned forward   
again, once more letting his violet gaze peer out into the   
sacred Hall of the Mirror.  
  
Seemingly lost in his own world, Obsidian turned away from   
the Mirror's disconcertingly reflective surface and slowly   
made his way over to that long, low table that had become   
some sort of a focus for the attentions of the few Gemlords   
Garnet knew were alive.  
  
*What is he doing now?* the young male asked himself,   
keeping his cloaking ability tight around his presence. As   
far as any of them knew, he was still sleeping; it would be   
to his advantage at the moment to have Obsidian continue to   
assume that. *And just what is on that table, anyway?*  
  
He'd noticed it, just in passing, however, when he had come   
roaring off the three-stepped dais and lit into the elegant   
Fire Warrior for all those long years of pain and suffering   
brought about by the Negaverse. That Zoisite had been   
prompted to usher him off swiftly after that hadn't given   
Garnet enough time to figure out what was going on over   
there. Now, however, his curiosity came to the fore as he   
watched the dark lord take up a position next to the piece   
of furniture and stare down at what must be its top.  
  
Obsidian reached down, picking something up. For a moment,   
the spy couldn't make out what it was -- then he wished he   
hadn't been able to realize what the object was that his   
lord was holding.  
  
A soulstone.  
  
Garnet felt a sudden, queasy lurch in his stomach. The   
Guardian of Space was holding the forlorn remains of some   
hapless, dead Gemlord, staring at it as if it somehow held   
the answer to something. Were they all there? Is that why   
Kunzite had been so focused on that low table when he'd come   
blithely through the Mirror, not sure what he'd find?  
  
It seemed a particularly sad, pathetic fate for the proud   
race that had spent so long helping their lord watch over   
the Balance of the Cosmos.  
  
With a faint sound of rustling cloth, the dark haired   
Guardian walked away from the disconcerting display, taking   
a couple of steps toward the Mirror. Closing his eyes,   
Obsidian cupped his hands around the grayish-yellow stone.   
It was time to bring in the next player even as the other   
two were out gathering the key needed to get the Emerald of   
Forests.  
  
At the entryway on the opposite side of the circular Hall,   
Garnet watched in fascination as the black-clad lord of the   
Tower obviously concentrated on the soulstone cupped   
carefully in his hands. The sensation of power tingled on   
the very edges of the spy's awareness as the seconds ticked   
by, the atmosphere in the round chamber becoming steadily   
heavier.  
  
Then, suddenly, the power was gone; the surrounding air   
abruptly lighter.  
  
Even as the unobserved watcher blinked his violet eyes in   
surprise, Obsidian's voice grumbled, breaking the silence of   
the Hall. "Damn."  
  
Still cloaked by his aura of concealment, the spy's violet   
eyes stayed focused on Lord Obsidian as the Guardian of   
Space apparently thought over his options. Whatever he had   
been trying to do to the pathetic remains of one of their   
people, it apparently hadn't worked out, judging from the   
older Gemlord's reaction.  
  
"Not quite enough power..." Obsidian slowly turned, hand   
holding the dead soulstone coming up to rest against his   
chest over his heart. At first gazing sadly at the mystic   
Mirror, he then shook his head slightly. "A development not   
anticipated. Forgive me."  
  
He crossed the remaining distance between himself and the   
Vortex Mirror, then lovingly caressed the smooth, glassy   
surface of the Symbol of Space, the one hand clutching the   
gray jewel remaining against his breast. "I didn't realize   
pulling you into the Vortex itself would insulate you so   
much from gathering energy. So slow..."  
  
Obsidian's quiet soliloquy abruptly broke off. To Garnet,   
continuing to watch from the shelter of the vestibule across   
the Hall from the dais, it looked as if he ruler had just   
thought of something. The dark lord's expression was   
clearly visible in the uncannily reflective surface of the   
Symbol he served.  
  
"Ah, yes... The Senshi..."  
  
Dark eyes narrowing in an almost predatory gaze, Obsidian's   
gold-trimmed sable cloak flared out slightly as he suddenly   
whirled to stare at the vitreous prison in which he'd   
trapped Sailor Andromeda. "Just as I and mine are agents of   
Matter, so are the Senshi agents of Energy. With the whole   
of a galaxy to draw from..."  
  
Hand still clutching the yellow-toned, dead-gray stone, the   
regal Gemlord stalked over to the crystal of glass the color   
of deepest green. Holding out his free hand, the golden   
signet ring -- the seal of his office as the Guardian of   
Space -- glittering coolly in the light of the illumination   
crystals, Obsidian laid a palm against the room-warmed   
glass. Bowing his head, he seemed once again lost in   
concentration -- but only for a moment.  
  
The chuckle voiced by his lord made the hairs on the back of   
Garnet's neck rise. Continuing to gaze upon the unfolding   
scene in slight, but ever increasing horror, the redheaded   
sneak soundlessly gasped as he realized just *what* his   
friend was doing.  
  
*It can't be... He wouldn't stoop to that...* But he was.   
Lord Obsidian was acting no better than some blood-sucking,   
Chaos-spawned vampire.  
  
Glittering-yellow light began to glow, surrounding the   
glassy prison, gathering around the Guardian's tall form,   
but concentrating mostly near the hand pressed against the   
crystal's side. The sensation of ambient energy filling the   
Hall returned, making the atmosphere feel charged and heavy   
to Garnet's Gemlord senses.  
  
It seemed like an eternity to the psionically-cloaked and   
concealed spy as he witnessed the entire process. By the   
time the Lord of Lithos stepped away from the hapless   
Senshi's glass prison, the light was all but gone from the   
deep green crystal. Conversely, the gleam around Obsidian's   
hand was bright, lighting up the entire Hall like a   
miniature sun. Garnet was forced to shield his eyes against   
the glare, even as the dark lord knelt down on the   
Zodiac-adorned carpet and reverently set the soulstone down   
before him. The bright light was suddenly extinguished as   
Obsidian pressed his glowing hand against the dead, gray   
jewel, forcing the ill-gotten energy into the stone.  
  
A new light began to shine, one from deep within the forlorn   
soulstone, one that was a deeper, more orange color than the   
bright, sunlight-yellow energy stolen from Sailor Andromeda.   
As Obsidian rose to his feet and stepped back, his cloaked   
body casting something of a sinister shadow across the   
carpeted floor, that new light began to pulse with the   
rhythm of a heartbeat, growing in intensity.  
  
Garnet's violet eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly   
understood what he was seeing. One more of the fallen   
Lithosians was being brought back to life, his or her   
crystallized pattern being energized with enough power to   
wink back into full existence. This then is what had been   
done to Kunzite and Zoisite. Looking at the hue of the light   
being given off by the reawakening soulstone, the   
intelligent spy was sure he knew who Lord Obsidian had   
chosen to resurrect this time.  
  
*Jadeite...*  
  
The pulsing, golden-orange light finally reached a brilliant   
crescendo then abruptly winked out. The effect on the   
concealed Gemlord's eyes was something analogous to the   
sudden, drastic silence immediately following an   
overwhelming cacophony. In the apparent darkness, a figure   
lay on the Zodiac-decorated carpet, clad in the clothing of   
an ordinary citizen of Lithos. Garnet immediately noticed   
that the outfit was composed of shades of yellow, amber,   
orange and gold.  
  
"You never answered me, my lord..." The new voice was low,   
cracking and rough-sounding from apparent disuse.  
  
"I'm willing to forgive, so long as you obey me from this   
moment on," Obsidian responded, dark eyes remaining fastened   
upon the newly resurrected Eastern Commander of Air.  
  
The figure lying on the floor stirred, pulling himself up   
slowly to finally come to rest in a sitting position.   
Athletic torso covered by a golden yellow tunic trimmed in   
metallic gold, a short cape made of a golden orange colored   
material hanging from his shoulders where it was pinned to   
the tunic by a pair of twin brooches made of yellow-orange   
jade cabochons set in yellow gold, and his legs clothed in   
golden yellow trousers tucked into knee-high, brown leather   
boots, Jadeite made for a less menacing image at the moment   
than the last time Garnet had ever seen him. Reaching up to   
rub his amber-colored eyes, the golden circlet adorned with   
a yellow-orange jadeite cabochon glittered underneath his   
blond, relatively short-cropped, wavy hair, the Eastern   
Commander made a soft, groaning sound. "I'm eternally   
grateful to you for ending my punishment at Beryl's hands."  
  
"If I didn't *need* you so much, I would have been very   
tempted to leave you that way," the Guardian of Space   
replied.  
  
Jadeite immediately froze, then looked to the dark-clad Lord   
of Lithos, his own face virtually an expressionless mask.  
  
Frowning to himself, Garnet carefully shifted his weight,   
his curiosity keeping him in place and observing the   
exchange. This sure didn't *sound* at all like the Obsidian   
he'd known so well. If anything, the Guardian of Space   
tended to be possessive about those under his rulership.   
That he'd actually think of leaving one of the Gemlords   
behind in the cold embrace of the Negaverse seemed very,   
very wrong. Witness the long centuries of silent agony   
Obsidian endured -- *still endures, like I do,* Garnet told   
himself, refusing to believe that *he* could have given up   
on ever locating the missing Tanzanite -- with one of his   
precious Gemlords seemingly gone without a trace.  
  
Before the cold hollowness could once more settle within the   
redheaded spy's heart, the dark lord's next words caught   
Garnet's attention. "Go get some rest, Commander. The   
resurrection will swiftly make itself known. I'll need your   
sharp mind in clear focus so that you can find something for   
me."  
  
"Find something, my lord?" Jadeite echoed, an expression of   
sudden curiosity on his handsome face.  
  
"Yes. You'll need the power and database of the Record for   
what I have in mind. You are one of the best when it comes   
to computerized systems. I have need of that skill."  
  
"It shall be my pleasure, my lord," the Warrior of Air   
responded. "By your leave?"  
  
"Of course. I will call you when I need you to begin your   
search," Obsidian replied, turning his attention back toward   
the shimmeringly reflective surface of the Vortex Mirror.  
  
The salute came swiftly and easily to Jadeite. Fist clasped   
over his heart, he bowed slightly in the direction of the   
tall, black and deep-green clad figure, then turned away.   
Marching off in a crisp, efficient stride, the blond Gemlord   
took about two steps before his athletic form faded away in   
the midst of an orangish-amber glow.  
  
As Garnet continued to watch, Obsidian frowned darkly at his   
own reflection in the Symbol of Space. "Well, seems as if   
West and South have run into a little trouble. If you want   
something done, I swear..." Muttering that to himself, the   
Lord of Lithos held out a hand toward the glimmering Mirror,   
then stepped through, the surface giving way like a pool of   
black water.  
  
*********************************  
  
His body was failing, slowly but surely. He'd felt this   
before, this sense of lightheadedness, of feeling his energy   
fading away, but almost always it had been from the   
perspective of an observer. He probably should be more   
alarmed than he was, sensing his life trickling away for a   
second time, but at the moment, Nephrite had other things on   
his mind.  
  
Zoisite was closing in.  
  
"Get back here, you Terran brat!" the Water Warrior's shrill   
voice called out.  
  
Lita gritted her teeth, hazarding a glance at the boy   
struggling along next to her. *He's not going to make it,   
not at this rate,* the ponytailed teen told herself. *Gonna   
need to transform.* "Nephrite, this isn't going to work!   
Wait a minute!"  
  
"Huh?" The auburn haired boy stopped in his tracks, pale   
face turned toward her.  
  
The tall girl winced, noticing just *how much* blood stained   
the other teen's now-ruined, once-expensive shirt. The   
ruddy crimson covered an alarmingly large area.  
  
*Good. Just hold still for a bit longer...* Zoisite leapt up   
into the air, golden ponytail swirling around her shoulders,   
her violet-blue eyes narrowing while she raised a hand and   
took careful aim.  
  
*No! I won't let you hurt him again!* Sonya inwardly   
growled, antique-gold eyes focused on the floating   
miscreant. Abruptly breaking her stride, snapping her legs   
together and extending her arms down and outwards -- to hell   
with hiding; besides, most mundanes remained clueless due to   
the nature of the magic, and at the moment, she didn't   
*care* if that Negaverse witch found out -- the redheaded   
woman's voice rang out in an almost exultant call -- "Draco   
Celestial Spirit Ascend!"  
  
Three gasps sounded as the words filled the air. Three   
pairs of eyes -- violet-blue, jade green and forest green --   
scanned the immediate area to search for the source of the   
roaring shout.  
  
Lita couldn't believe it. *Another *Scout*?* Her hand   
tightening on the Jupiter pen, she knew that there was no   
longer any doubt about her decision to trigger her own   
transformation. There was no guarantee that the unknown   
Scout would be an ally, even if she had returned the younger   
girl's transformational device to her.  
  
Zoisite outwardly snarled even as she inwardly cringed.   
Visions of Lord Obsidian blasting her beloved Kunzite to a   
stone then shattering the helpless gem filled her head,   
pushing her into further desperation. Not only were there   
witnesses and interference, one of the damned troublemakers   
was another accursed Senshi!  
  
Nephrite felt his heart leap into his throat. That *voice*!   
He recognized it, even after so long; it sent a thrill of   
*something* through him. *She really *is* alive! And a   
Senshi as well?*  
  
Strangely enough, part of him was suddenly outraged that she   
had *dared* keep *that* a secret from *him*. He felt   
utterly betrayed, but that sensation quickly faded as he   
watched the awesome sight of the transformation.  
  
A sudden burst of radiance illuminated the surrounding area   
of the graveyard. A fountain of light -- gold, silver, green   
-- swept upward from Sonya's feet; she raised her arms,   
throwing back her head, and the light followed the motions,   
fanning outward from her arms like vast wings, arching above   
her raised face in a graceful, serpentine neck and wickedly   
dragonish head, limning her legs with a half-coiled tail.  
  
The ethereal shape tightened around her, its colors   
changing, wrapping her in a black, skin-tight uniform; the   
tail twined her calves, becoming emerald-green boots. The   
wings sheathed her hands and forearms in green, overlaid by   
the skeletal, clawed gauntlets of the Dragon Claws. A green   
belt formed around her waist, its buckle a swirl of gold   
that resembled a flame. Green pauldrons appeared on her   
shoulders; a pair of heavy golden brooches set with fanglike   
pieces of ivory pinned a long cloak of a similar golden hue   
to the pauldrons. The dragonlike head of the radiant   
apparition descended suddenly, jaws opening, seemingly about   
to swallow her skull; instead, though, the light dissolved   
into a golden circlet set with three ivory fangs, points   
downward, the middle fang reaching a point between her   
eyebrows, the other two slightly shorter.  
  
The remainder of the brilliant aura dissipated outward in   
cometlike streaks. Suddenly a lot more menacing than she'd   
been before, the redheaded woman took a long, slow step   
forward, a wicked smile on her face. Playtime was over, and   
the *real* fight was about to begin.  
  
The moment the draconic transformation was complete, Lita   
lifted her green and gold pen up toward the sky. "Jupiter   
Power!"  
  
The glimmering astrological symbol of the planet Jupiter   
formed within the verdant orb at the apex of the   
transformational device then began to spin in the depths of   
the sphere. Lifting a leg by bending her knee and thrusting   
out her free hand as if to ward off anyone who would come   
too close, the tall, athletic girl's form began to spin as   
well while bolts of silvery lightning erupted from the small   
emerald globe to swirl around her. Forming a sphere of   
three whirling rings of electrical energy around her, they   
momentarily looked something like a map of an atom,   
electrons rotating in an orbit around the core of proton and   
neutron before collapsing in around her as her body   
continued to turn. The crackling energy began to solidify   
against her, turning into her Scout uniform from the feet   
up. Dark green ankle boots, a white bodysuit decorated with   
a forest green ruffled miniskirt and sailor-like kerchief,   
the bows at chest and back being a sugary pink color,   
elbow-length white gloves lined with forest green and a   
cloth choker of the same verdant hue made up the Energetic   
Warrior's Sailor Scout outfit.  
  
Antique-gold eyes scanned over the scene, narrowed in a   
predatory glare. Noting the brunette kid taking a stance,   
it was all Draco could do to suppress a growl that   
threatened to well up from the depths of her chest.  
  
Hand still clasped to the entry wound in his shoulder, his   
palm slick with his warm, still-flowing blood, Nephrite   
turned pain-filled, jade green eyes to stare at the figure   
of a warrior he'd not seen for centuries. Even as he   
blinked and Jupiter opened her mouth to say something, there   
was a momentary flash of a memory, of seeing the graceful   
and noble Princess Jupiter in her sailorfuku firing up at   
the manifestation of the Negaforce with her most basic   
power, only to be blasted into oblivion like she was simply   
little more than an irritating insect.  
  
*He'd* made that possible. At the time, the death of the   
Senshi hadn't touched him at all. Now, seeing her again, an   
intense sense of guilt and regret tore at him deeper than   
the pain of the wound through his shoulder.  
  
He couldn't let anything else happen to her, not now. He   
needed to redeem himself.  
  
"In the name of--" the ponytailed girl began to yell, her   
body held in an emphatic, aggressive stance.  
  
"Shut the hell *up* and get him out of here!" Draco shouted   
as the other Senshi began to spout out some sort of pathetic   
nonsense. "I've got Zoisite!"  
  
"Like hell you do! *Zoi*!" Throwing both hands forward, the   
Water Warrior released a frantic blast of telekinetic wind   
and cherry blossom petals -- petals that almost instantly   
transformed into razor-sharp ice crystals.  
  
A low growl sounding in her throat, Sailor Draco leapt   
backwards, away from the glittering, knife-edged rain. Even   
with her strong, dense musculature and the planet's lighter   
gravitational field, she wasn't quite fast enough. A few of   
the little brat's shards struck her, ripping slashes into   
skin and black bodysuit alike, tinging off the golden   
pauldrons on her shoulders and lacerating her cheek.  
  
Jumping lightly at the harsh command of the strange Scout,   
Jupiter decided not to argue with the other Sailor.   
Scooping up the steadily weakening boy, she breathlessly   
ordered him to hang on. "Need to get you to the nearest   
hospital, Nathan," she added as the auburn-haired youth   
curled his good arm around her neck.  
  
He really couldn't argue with that. Already he was feeling   
light-headed and a detached part of himself was silently   
noting that it wouldn't be much longer before he lost   
consciousness. Doing his best not to hinder the Senshi as   
she carried him, he closed his eyes as Sailor Jupiter began   
to run through the cemetery with him.  
  
A dangerous light gleaming in her eyes, Draco watched her   
prey carefully while the sound of running boots distracted   
the levitating little brat. Zoisite's head was turned   
slightly, a look of shock on the exquisite features framed   
by that floating cloud of golden-blond hair. Reaching up to   
her stinging cheek and feeling wetness against the palm of   
her hand, Draco grimly smiled. *You're gonna pay for that as   
well.*  
  
"Cosmos *damn* them," Zoisite muttered, observing her target   
fleeing with the human the Northern Commander had become.   
"Come *back* here, damn you!" she screeched, focusing her   
mind and feeling her teleportational powers flare up around   
her.  
  
Soundlessly, the redheaded warrioress jumped up into the   
air, the power of her non-human body combined with Earth's   
gravity giving her the ability to leap upwards an impressive   
amount of height. The first few pink petals were beginning   
to swirl around the blue-clad woman's slender form when the   
soles of Draco's green boots connected hard against the   
upper edges of Zoisite's slender shoulders. A grim smile of   
triumph graced the Senshi's face as she bent her knees.   
"Eat dirt, brat," she growled.  
  
*No! This *can't* be happening to me!* the Western   
Commander's stunned mind silently shrieked in that eternally   
drawn-out moment before she hit the ground -- hard -- yet   
again.  
  
Pain blossomed throughout Zoisite's petite body as she was   
smashed between the unyeilding earth of the graveyard and   
the unforgiving mass of the dense object that had brought   
her down. Through the haze of it all -- she wasn't overly   
sure -- but she thought she heard a few sickening *snaps*.  
  
She was still dazed as she felt something tugging on the   
silken locks of her ponytail. Then came a vicious yank,   
lifting her head off the ground--and with *that* came a new   
agony as her shoulders shifted in ways they were never meant   
to move. Zoisite lost what little breath she had retained   
when she let loose of a tortured scream, pain totally   
engulfing her awareness.  
  
Draco dispassionately watched the play of emotions on her   
prey's dirt-streaked face, waiting for the brat's shrill   
outburst to die down into choked sobs. The other warrior   
had to be hurting badly. From what she remembered about   
their former encounters, Draco knew that the blond rat would   
never willingly allow a foe to know how badly hurt she truly   
was unless the pain was just too much to internalize.   
"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" the black- and green-clad   
Senshi murmured while she continued to hold her downed foe's   
head by the convenient handle of Zoisite's ponytail.  
  
Despite the searing pain that continued to dominate her --   
each breath was more torture -- the Water Warrior's   
violet-blue eyes flew open to stare up at the unknown   
Senshi. That *voice*! She'd heard that very same line   
before...  
  
Antique-gold eyes, full of a righteous fury, stared back   
into the smaller female's agony-glazed eyes. "Siolan,"   
Zoisite whispered, swallowing hard. By all that was holy in   
the Cosmos, Nephrite's pet dragon had come back from the   
dead to guard him...  
  
"Damned straight," Draco acknowledged, roughly shoving her   
downed prey's head back to the ground of the cemetery as she   
turned loose of the long hair she'd held in her unrelenting   
grasp. In her swift assessment, she knew that the annoying   
little brat was no longer an immediate threat.  
  
*Now for Kunzite,* she quickly reminded herself, gracefully   
rising up off the apparently broken woman. Turning   
slightly, she began to sweep her golden gaze over the   
surrounding tombstone-scattered area. *Where is he?*  
  
She had just enough time to see the bolt of violet-pink   
energy racing toward her before it struck. Acting on pure   
instinct, Draco leapt to the side, but the energy still   
caught her across the knees, tossing her further sideways.   
Pain lanced across her ribs as she crashed into a cold stone   
monument to some probably long-dead Terran, the white and   
gray-streaked marble cracking under the force of her impact.   
Forcing herself to relax and go with the flow of the   
momentum, the caped Senshi rolled, then scrambled back to   
stand on her booted feet. Dragon-gold eyes narrowing, she   
silently snarled as her gaze fell upon a tall, pale-haired   
form levitating up in the air.  
  
Pale eyes focused wolfishly on his target, Kunzite thrust   
his hands forward, turning loose of another bolt of   
violet-pink energy at the bodysuited warrioress. *You're   
really asking for it as well, Whitey,* Draco mentally   
growled as she ducked behind the marble tombstone that had   
only moments before taken the force of her landing. A soft   
grunt sounded as the battered stone broke and fell, striking   
her across the back; for her, the piece of marble's impact   
was virtually nothing. Shrugging off the stone, Draco rose   
and braced herself, her feet wide apart, before pointing the   
deadly Dragon Claws straight at the caped nuisance. "Draco   
Raking Talons!"  
  
The very second the final syllable of her attack phrase fell   
from her lips, eight thin lasers of greenish-white light   
erupted from the points of the talons affixed to the   
skeletal gauntlets worn over her verdant gloves. Their   
radiance cast eerie shadows across the graveyard's lawn as   
they ripped their way through the air toward their intended   
target.  
  
*Oh Cosmos! Oh *Cosmos*!* Zoisite whimpered, truly   
*frightened*. Sensing her beloved mentor near and hearing   
the ensuing sounds of the conflict between the   
dragon-blooded mercenary and the Fire Warrior, the fallen   
woman had fought back the pain and had done her best to get   
up and get the hell out of there to someplace safe enough to   
regroup. To her absolute horror, she'd discovered that any   
attempt to move her arms set off even more episodes of an   
agony so great, she'd hovered a few times on the edge of   
simply passing out. **Kunzite!** she mentally shrieked,   
outwardly sobbing in both fear and pain. **I can't move! I   
can't *move*!**  
  
His former lover's desperate cry lanced through him.   
Viciously moving a hand in a gesture of warding, Kunzite   
flicked his cold gaze to the Western Commander's prostrate   
form while the greenish-white lasers ineffectively needled   
themselves against the surface of the translucent sphere of   
violet-pink energy he'd invoked around himself as a   
protective shield. The Water Warrior's shoulders were   
quivering, and her violet-blue-booted feet were restlessly   
dragging across the ground while her hands fisted and   
unfisted themselves against the lush green lawn of the   
sacred ground. But her arms themselves...  
  
He had to get her out of there.  
  
A bit of a self-satisfied sneer momentarily crossed the   
redheaded Senshi's visage. From the grim look on Whitey's   
face over there, his little bratty playtoy must've become   
quite broken on impact. Though the lavender-caped warrior's   
expression hadn't obviously changed, Draco hadn't spent a   
thousand years studying the most powerful of the Negaverse   
generals without picking up the subtle shifts of emotion   
Kunzite allowed himself to show. *Good. He cares enough   
about the little rat that he'll not be an immediate threat   
either,* she thought, stepping behind herself. Golden eyes   
remaining focused on the pale-haired man, she took another   
step backwards. No way in hell was she going to turn her   
back on an enemy, especially not one as potentially   
dangerous as Kunzite. Even so, Nephrite remained her   
priority. As frail as a human boy and sorely wounded as   
well... *No! He's *alive*!* she mentally hissed. *I'd   
*know* it if he died again.*  
  
Another step back. She *had* to get to him. Had to get him   
some help. She would *not* fail him again.  
  
Draco took yet another step back, the movement of   
*something* off to the right catching her immediate   
attention. A shimmer of deepest-green light suddenly faded   
into view, bringing with it a figure almost as tall as the   
pale-haired man she'd been keeping an eye on.  
  
Darkness, as deep and as black as space itself, seemed to be   
the newcomer's motif. He wore what appeared to be in the   
silvery light of the moon clothing of an all-black color   
somewhat similar to the odd outfits that Zoisite and Kunzite   
both were currently wearing, including a full-cut long cape   
that billowed around his solid-looking, athletic form. Dark   
hair framed a face that seemed to be both inhumanly handsome   
and inhumanly cold. The only relief from the darkness was   
the glitter of metallic gold that decorated his clothing and   
his person.  
  
The other thing the retreating Senshi noticed about the   
newcomer was that he carried himself like one used to being   
in command. He raised an arm and pointed at Kunzite, even   
as the stranger's melodic baritone shouted out an order.   
"Get the Senshi! Now!"  
  
A nod of his head, then a swiftly executed -- but elegant,   
as always -- salute and the Fire Warrior disappeared, his   
tall form momentarily surrounded, then engulfed, by the   
violet-pink radiance of his teleportational field.  
  
The stranger's dark gaze then turned to the still-prone body   
of the fallen Water Warrior. The moment the black-clad man   
took a step toward the hapless Zoisite, Draco knew that it   
would be safe to turn and run. With the newcomer obviously   
focusing on the little brat and Whitey apparently sent to   
fetch Sailor Jupiter like some sort of truant pet, her only   
thought was to get to the fragile Nephrite and get him the   
hell out of the way of what Kunzite's master wanted. Green   
boots digging into the well-tended soil of the graveyard,   
she took off like a shot in the direction she'd seen the   
other Senshi flee with the wounded boy.  
  
She had to get him the hell out of there before he got   
caught in the crossfire.  
  
Other green boots, these ones a shade the color of forest   
foliage, pounded along the asphalt of an alley that their   
owner knew would be a more direct route to the hospital   
nearest to the cemetery where the attack had taken place.   
Her legs aching, her breathing coming in gulping gasps of   
the slightly chilled night air, her determination was truly   
the only thing keeping Jupiter going. The teenaged youth   
that had once been a Negaverse general was getting heavier   
by the moment, even with her Jupiter-enhanced strength.   
That he looked so pale, his eyes closed, didn't help the   
normally optimistic girl think the best of the situation.   
"Nephrite!" she gasped, still dashing along the alleyway,   
the scurrying sounds she caught telling her that her   
thundering footsteps had disturbed a cat -- or worse --   
poking around in the trash bins. "Still with me?"  
  
"Yeah," he mumbled, his eyes remaining closed. He was   
beginning to feel colder, the desire to sleep starting to   
overtake him. Silently, he thanked Jupiter's jostling him   
with every pounding step of her run. The jarring made it   
easier to fight off the deadly tiredness. *Must stay awake,*   
Nephrite admonished himself.  
  
"Glad to hear it," she panted back, turning on a foot to   
begin dashing down the rather deserted street underneath the   
impassionate orangish light of the streetlamps.  
  
"Stop and drop the boy, Senshi!"  
  
Nephrite lifted his head up, jade green eyes flying open.   
He instantly recognized the deep voice that had barked out   
that command.  
  
"Kunzite!" Jupiter hissed, abruptly coming to a halt,   
looking upward in an attempt to locate the Negadweeb. *Up   
there!* Spying the oddly-dressed general perched atop the   
balcony of an apartment across the street, her forest green   
eyes narrowed slightly as she noted the lavender-cloaked man   
elegantly poised to let fly with some attack or other.  
  
"Put the boy down, Jupiter, or I'll be forced to hurt him as   
well," the Fire Warrior commanded, frosty eyes focused on   
the pair of teenagers.  
  
The athletic girl tightened her mouth slightly. There   
really wasn't any other choice, not under the current   
circumstances. Staring daggers at the apparently casually   
waiting Negajerk, the ponytailed brunette slowly knelt down   
to lower the ashen-faced youth to the concrete sidewalk   
beneath her booted feet.  
  
"Don't," Nephrite softly breathed. "He wants you, not me.   
Keep running."  
  
"I can't!" she harshly whispered back, keeping her gaze   
locked on the watching male. "It's my fight, not yours.   
You're hurt enough as it is."  
  
"He'll hesitate as long as you're holding me," Nephrite   
replied. After all, he'd known the Fire Warrior for   
centuries, had worked under him for just as long.  
  
"I can't take that chance," Jupiter hissed in reply. Laying   
the other teen down on the pavement as carefully as   
possible, she grit her teeth and stood up again, taking a   
few deliberate steps away from the wounded kid.  
  
*Silly fool,* the auburn-haired youth mentally grumbled,   
stifling a cry of agony as he rolled over onto his good   
side. He *knew* Kunzite, knew how honorable he truly was   
beyond the influence of the Negaverse. With Lord Obsidian   
the one pulling his strings, the idea of the Southern   
Commander continuing to have his personality perverted by   
Metallia's obnoxious influence seemed to be a remote   
possibility indeed.  
  
"Leave him out of it," the ponytailed Scout demanded, taking   
another few steps away from her wounded schoolmate. Kunzite   
had proven over and over to be a treacherous bastard, and   
she'd be damned if a stray shot accidentally hit the fallen   
boy just because he'd been too close to her.  
  
*No! Don't!* Jade green eyes widened in desperation as he   
saw the regal Senshi step even further away. Groaning in   
pain and struggling to his feet, he could see that damning   
scene playing out before his mind's eye yet again, the Inner   
Senshi doing their best to defend royalty and kingdom, only   
to be slaughtered by a force far beyond their ability to   
harm.  
Jupiter set her feet apart, her arms and hands rising to the   
position needed to trigger her attack. "Jupiter--"  
  
"Zai!" Kunzite shouted, turning loose of the energy   
throbbing in his hand. Violet-pink radiance erupted around   
him, lighting up the balcony, making unnatural shadows race   
across the pavement.  
  
The auburn-haired boy didn't even make a sound. He *had* to   
set things right! He *had* to prove to them all that he was   
*sorry* for what he'd done.  
  
The bolt never hit Jupiter. To her surprise, something got   
in the way, a something that hadn't been there a second   
before.  
  
There was a terrible-sounding *thud* as that something   
dropped to the concrete at her feet.  
  
"Foolish child," Kunzite growled, flicking back his cape in   
irritation.  
  
Looking down, the ponytailed girl's forest green eyes   
widened in silent horror as she realized that *something*   
had been Nephrite.  
  
Her dragon-green boots making little sound at all as she   
rushed along the streets of the night-shrouded Japanese   
city, her verdant cape flared out behind her and her red   
hair streaming back in the wake of her rapid passage, Draco   
followed that sense all Senshi have in the proximity of   
another of their mystic fraternity. Somewhere out there was   
Sailor Jupiter, the Jovian energies distinct to her inner   
senses. *And where she is, he'll be there as well.*  
  
She almost missed the alleyway, but the moment she darted   
past it, the feeling of the other Senshi's energies suddenly   
seemed to be coming from behind her as well as to the right.   
Coming to an almost immediate halt, Draco turned, her golden   
gaze searching. Instantly spotting the narrow, one-lane   
road between buildings reaching upward into the nighttime   
sky, she mentally nodded to herself and changed direction.   
The Terran-made structures loomed over her as she ran   
between them, a cold smile once again coming to her, curving   
the corners of her mouth upwards, when the younger Senshi's   
form came into view at the end of the alleyway. The smile   
got just a bit wider when she next made out her beloved   
Nephrite's youthful form struggling up to his feet. It had   
to be one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen.  
  
The joy was short-lived. Even as she ran toward the two   
figures, determined to scoop up the boy into her arms and   
run with him away from Jupiter, away from whatever it was   
that Kunzite's master wanted with the younger female, she   
saw the brunette girl take up an attack stance, saw the area   
in front of them light up with the distinctive brilliance of   
the general's energy attack.  
  
Saw her beloved Nephrite, fragile and utterly *human* now,   
leap forward, tossing that frail body of his in front of the   
violet-pink blast. Saw *her* Nephrite fall to the hard   
concrete ground and lay far too still at the feet of the   
girl that had dared punch him.  
  
The Water Warrior was in terrible pain. A corner of   
Obsidian's mouth turned down as the agony continued to   
intrude upon his awareness, the entire Western Quarter   
radiating nothing but the pain that even now kept the   
slender woman sobbing into the torn-up ground. Something   
unanticipated had intruded on his plans, something for which   
Zoisite hadn't been prepared.  
  
Even as he knelt down, a new presence made itself known, red   
light momentarily painting the surrounding area with a   
garnet hue. *Not overly surprising that,* the Guardian of   
Space silently commented as the younger Gemlord dashed past   
him to almost literally throw himself to his knees on the   
ground next to his fallen sibling. "Oh *Cosmos*, Zo',"   
Garnet groaned, his face showing his astonishment and   
panicked concern, a hand reaching down to tenderly touch the   
golden blond woman lying sobbing and writhing on the verdant   
grass.  
  
"I can't move my arms, Gar," she replied, her voice cracking   
and sounding almost hysterical, the sobbing sound making her   
once again the little sister in need of a protective older   
brother.  
  
The redheaded spy half turned, his hand moving lower to wrap   
warm, comforting fingers around one of the hurt Gemlord's   
hands. Violet eyes glanced upward accusingly at the dark   
form of his people's lord even as he spoke, his low voice   
having a hint of steel to it. "We need a Healer, Sir. Now.   
Or she's going to be useless to you." *How *dare* you send   
her up against something that could *do* this to her?* he   
wanted to shout, but he had always known when the right time   
for such thoughts to be voiced had occurred, and this just   
wasn't one of those moments.  
  
Obsidian frowned, though Garnet couldn't tell whether it was   
in thoughtfulness, irritation or something else. For a   
long, tense moment, those almost fathomless dark brown eyes   
gazed down at him. Then the Guardian of Space nodded his   
head once in a gesture of affirmation. "Take her back home,   
Lord Garnet," he softly spoke. "I shall follow and attend to   
her."  
  
"Thank you, my lord," the spy responded, his gaze and his   
attention both shifting back to the golden-blond woman lying   
on the ground. "Hang in there, kiddo," he gently crooned,   
leaning forward to carefully wrap his arms around Zoisite's   
petite form. "I'll take you home. We'll make it all   
better."  
  
As gently as possible, he started to rise, cradling his   
sibling in his strong, capable arms. But the moment her   
upper torso was lifted from the ground, he could *feel* her   
shoulders flopping forward in an unnatural direction   
downward, her arms dragging virtually useless. The scream   
of agony to which the youngest Gemlord gave voice cut right   
through Garnet's heart, making him force himself to suppress   
the hot bolt of pure rage that filled him, rage with which   
he wanted to lash out at Lord Obsidian.  
  
Both collarbones had to be broken. There was no way he   
could physically carry her in comfort; any position he tried   
would cause some sort of torque on the injuries. "Oh   
Cosmos..." he groaned again, lowering her as hastily and   
carefully as he could.  
  
The frown remained on the dark lord's face as he watched the   
attempt. "Stand back a moment, Garnet," Obsidian softly   
commanded, raising a hand toward the young Lithosians.  
  
A glint of pure fury deep within his violet eyes, the   
redheaded Gemlord did as Obsidian asked, his fingers   
lingering with a touch meant to give Zoisite some comfort   
before he broke contact entirely. Even though he was   
internally furious with his lord for getting his beloved   
little sibling in a situation that had hurt her so much,   
some of that anger faded slightly as he realized what the   
Guardian was doing.  
  
Zoisite's little body began to rise in the air, every inch   
of her apparently telekinetically supported in a way that   
allowed no movement save that needed to maintain the Water   
Warrior's rapid breathing. As soon as she was high enough   
off the ground -- at approximately the very level at which   
he would have had her were he able to hold her in his   
embrace, Garnet silently noted -- her body began to slowly   
rotate, eventually coming to a halt when she lay there   
floating on her back in the air.  
  
"Gather her in your arms and teleport her through the   
Mirror," Obsidian murmured. "I shall continue to support   
her so."  
  
"As you wish, Sir." That was an order he certainly had no   
qualms against. Stepping up to his levitating sibling, he   
once again wrapped his arms around her as best he could,   
determined to not cause her any more unnecessary pain. It   
was bad enough with what she was feeling throbbing there in   
the back of his mind through the ancient bond he had with   
her, a bond formed when the two of them as well as two   
others all swore a pact of siblingship with one another. "I   
promise everything's going to be okay, Zo'," Garnet   
whispered to her, staring down at her, letting her see the   
love and concern on his face.  
  
Her large, violet-blue eyes opened, the long lashes parting   
to allow her to gaze up at the ruggedly handsome Gemlord.   
She managed to give him a weak smile, a loving expression   
that seemed somehow even more endearing being there on a   
face that was streaked with dirt and tears. "Always knew I   
could count on you, Gar," she murmured back.  
  
He gave her an answering smile, then mentally reached out   
for the oh-so-familiar pattern of the Symbol of Space.   
"Vortex Mirror Return."  
  
Obsidian echoed the ancient command, his black-clad form   
disappearing a fraction of a second after the younger   
Gemlords winked out in the center of Garnet's   
teleportational field, the helix of scarlet light erupting   
from the ground to wind upward around himself and Zoisite.  
  
Even in that terrible moment, when every happy feeling she   
had sank into a morass of fear and rage, Draco moved with an   
almost eerie silence. Too long out in the field, doing jobs   
that make quiet an absolute necessity, made making as little   
noise as possible second nature to her. She'd seen the   
angle of that blast; taking an educated guess, she narrowed   
her eyes in concentration even as she was in midstride. The   
air around her shimmered and rippled, suddenly looking like   
a mirage dancing above the horizon in the middle of the   
desert. Buildings, objects, sources of light, they all   
became distorted images as the field formed around her. Then   
came the flashpoint, that one particular moment when just   
*enough* energy swirled around her. Space literally folded   
in on her, swallowing her up into its rippling, gaping maw--  
  
--and spat her out right where she wanted.  
  
Gemlord senses abruptly screamed out a warning. Someone had   
joined him up there on that balcony. Kunzite whirled as   
fast as he could, only to feel a sudden burst of fiery agony   
rake across his ribs, the sound of his cape and tunic being   
shredded accompanying the unexpected sensation. Gritting   
his teeth, he lashed out with a hand, grabbing his "guest"   
by the wrist before she could slash the other set of wicked   
claws at him. Violet-pink fluid -- the Southern Commander's   
blood -- dripped down to spatter against the surface of the   
balcony as Draco curled her still-free hand up into a fist   
and punched outward at the other warrior, hoping to skewer   
that handsome face of his with her Dragon Claws.  
  
Lupine eyes narrowed as Kunzite jerked his head to the side,   
the soft whisper of the deadly metal and the faint breeze of   
the talons' passage caressing his ear. He never felt even a   
tug as a few strands of his glorious, lavender-highlighted   
mane floated down from where they had been severed to join   
the spatters of his blood on the balcony.  
  
"Oh my. I've managed to cut you," Draco hissed, leering at   
her foe. As quick as lightning, her free hand clamped down   
on Kunzite's forearm inches beyond where he had a tight grip   
on her right wrist. A bend of her black-clad knees, a twist   
of her supple body just *so* and she brought leverage and   
strength both to bear against the caped male.  
  
Almost too late the Southern Commander felt his booted feet   
lift off from the building's surface. Violet-pink energy   
flared around him as he brought his telekinesis into play,   
cushioning the blow his tall form suffered when the brutal   
Senshi tossed him against the apartment wall.  
  
*Cold, empty, dark...* He seemed to be floating there in an   
infinite *nothingness*, no sense of anything save the   
awareness of himself, of his rapidly beating heart. *Is   
this it then?* Nephrite asked himself, the memory of the   
darkness and the tiny star of hope playing through his   
thoughts. *Am I facing the end?*  
  
*No! I tried!* he called out into the unending, inky   
blackness. *I swear to Cosmos that I tried!* Panic filled   
him, a terror beyond all imagination that made even his   
sense of *himself* falter under the power of the emotion.   
The desire to *exist* clawed at him, threatening to choke   
even his thoughts to ineffective whimpers.  
  
He didn't want to no longer *be*.  
  
A pinpoint of brilliance appeared, like the first star to   
grace the surface of a twilight sky; a gentle *presence*   
made itself known to him. *Yes, Prince of the Element of   
Earth, you tried.* In slight amazement, Nephrite felt what   
seemed to be a delicate hand come to rest against his   
forehead, felt a sudden warmth permeate the place where the   
deep green jade stone embedded within his circlet of rank   
would have been were he wearing it. Somehow, that   
comforting hand was reaching into his very soul, pulling up   
the very powers denied him in his mortal, human existence.  
  
*There is no greater sacrifice one can make than to risk   
everything for the sake of another.* The soft voice held   
something of a note of relief and joy both. *With no thought   
of yourself, you did what you could for someone else. Such   
nobility deserves to be rewarded...*  
  
Before Nephrite's surprised mind could make a thought in   
reply to that, the heat sitting there where his circlet   
should be, underneath that presence's hand, began to radiate   
throughout him, filling his awareness with a warmth and   
comfort beyond anything he could recall ever experiencing   
before. The sense of *self* faded before that warmth, even   
as the darkness gave way to a scintillating radiance.  
  
The moment the impact of her victim hitting the wall   
shivered up her arms, Draco let go of her hold on the pale   
haired man. Standing there, feet apart and poised for any   
sort of instantaneous reaction, her golden eyes kept vigil   
on Kunzite as he dropped hard to the balcony. Nephrite was   
still her overriding concern; much as she'd love to take out   
a few pounds of flesh from Kunzite in payment for injuries   
sustained in the past, she just didn't have the *time*.   
Even now he could be bleeding to death down there on that   
pavement.  
  
Let Kunzite have the other Senshi. She needed to get the   
boy out of there.  
  
Dragon green boots scraped against the surface as she bent   
her knees and coiled her body under herself. A push of her   
legs and she was airborne again, leaping high up over the   
concrete and metal railing and soaring down toward the   
street below, her bright red hair and golden cape flaring   
out behind her. Despite her denser mass and the force of   
gravity pulling her down, the black-clad Senshi landed on   
her feet as light as any cat. By the time Kunzite was back   
on his feet, she was there at the downed teen's side.  
  
Forest green eyes remained focused on the tall, caped   
general. Now that the strange Scout was down here on the   
ground with her, Jupiter had a perfect shot and knew it.   
Never once taking her gaze from Kunzite, the ponytailed girl   
shouted, "Get him to safety! I'll deal with Kunzite!" The   
other Scout was quick and strong both; she should easily be   
able to get the unconscious Nathan out of the way of being   
hurt even worse.  
  
Draco only smiled a bit at the girl's bravely-spoken words.   
Dropping to a knee, a mental command made the thin, deadly   
blades of the Dragon Claws retract; a cold, barely heard   
*shing* disturbed the silence just before the redheaded   
warrioress scooped up the still form of the boy into her   
arms. Even as she was lifting him up and returning to a   
standing position, she could feel electricity begin to   
crackle in the air.  
  
"I call upon the power of Jupiter!" the green and white   
uniformed Scout cried out, her gloved hands once again   
forming the gesture needed to channel the energies. Above   
the green, oval-shaped jewel in the center of her tiara, the   
slim, miniature lightning rod housed within extended itself,   
silvery lightning beginning to coalesce around her. "Jupiter   
Thunder--"  
  
Hugging the auburn haired boy's form close against her,   
Draco did her best to not think about how still his body   
remained, how unresponsive he seemed to be. The brilliant   
light of the other Senshi's attack illuminating the   
night-shrouded street, Draco took off in a ground-covering   
sprint. She had to get help. She wouldn't -- couldn't --   
fail again.  
  
At the forceful shout of his lord's intended victim, Kunzite   
made an annoyingly casual gesture. Not even sparing the   
fleeing Senshi a look -- he had no interest in the boy, and   
he could ill afford to try to avenge Zoisite, not with the   
order to get Sailor Jupiter in effect -- the Fire Warrior   
kept his predatory gaze on his target, even as his   
protective shield snapped back up into place.  
  
"--*Crash*!" White-hot lightning sizzled through the air,   
arcing upward at the command of the one that had released   
its elemental force, making eerie shadows skitter across the   
the asphalt and up the sides of the surrounding objects. It   
then sputtered and gutted out as it struck the swirling,   
translucent sphere of violet-pink energy that surrounded   
Kunzite.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that, Jupiter," the pale   
haired Southern Commander cooly stated.  
  
*********************************  
  
Within the wall of the circular room, the tall, flat surface   
of the Vortex Mirror began to ripple and dance like the   
surface of a pond disturbed. The surface bowed out   
slightly, then broke and shimmered apart like so much dark   
water, giving way before Garnet's entrance into the sacred   
chamber at the top of his lord's tower. Stepping down off   
the dais, his boots making soft footfalls on the three   
stairs as he walked to the floor, the young spy turned and   
waited for the Guardian of Space to appear.  
  
"Gar, I'm scared..." Her voice sounding both lost and   
forlorn, the injured Gemlord turned her pain-filled eyes to   
stare up at the redheaded man holding her as carefully as   
possible.  
  
"Shh. Don't talk and save your strength, Zo'," came the soft   
reply. "We'll get you fixed up right away."  
  
If she could have, she would have reached up and grabbed the   
older Gemlord's black T-shirt, her fingers curling into it   
with a deathgrip. As it was, she could only lie there   
loosely cradled in Garnet's arms, pain throbbing throughout   
her. **You don't understand, Gar. I screwed up. The entire   
mission became a flop because of me, and he'll make   
*Kunzite* pay the price for my mistakes.**  
  
He turned his violet gaze from the still-glowing Mirror to   
stare down at his little sibling's ashen face, internally   
wincing at the hysterical note that had crept into her   
telepathed voice. "What do you mean, he'll make Kunzite   
pay?"  
  
**Had to promise to help him. He's our true ruler after all.   
But he said that if I screwed up as badly as I had on the   
mission to safeguard Beryl, he'd see to it that he... that   
he'd...** Zoisite slammed her eyes shut, trying her best to   
not lose it and start crying all over again, though a choked   
sob escaped her. **He's going to kill Kunzite and then   
shatter his stone, all because I *blew* it!**  
  
"He's *what*?" However much he'd like to clarify what it   
was that his sibling was afraid of, Garnet found it suddenly   
prudent to not pursue that line of inquiry. He could sense   
the very moment that the Guardian of Space stepped into the   
Hall from the Vortex Mirror. Lord Obsidian had a way of   
filling a room just by his presence alone.  
  
"I have her, Garnet," the Lord of Lithos softly intoned as   
he stepped down from the dais and came to a halt near where   
the pair of younger Gemlords were, his melodic baritone   
voice sounding gentle and concerned both. He raised a hand,   
the gold and obsidian signet ring glittering faintly in the   
light of the illumination crystals, green light of the   
deepest hue flaring softly around the Water Warrior's   
slender form. "Do me a favor and go over to that table over   
there. Pick me out a Healer."  
  
"Pick you out a Healer, Sir?" Garnet echoed, stepping back   
away from the wounded woman. Something within him shuddered   
at the possible implication of those words, something that   
dreaded just what he might see, something that could be   
almost as bad as watching the Elemental Guard, those four   
supposedly there to protect Lithos among other duties,   
blithely work for something as *wrong* as the Negaverse was.  
  
"Yes. We'll need one for Commander Zoisite," Obsidian   
confirmed.  
  
The Water Warrior let out the breath that she hadn't   
realized she was holding, though that sent new twinges of   
pain through her. He'd used her title still. That was a   
good sign at least. Doing her best to force herself to   
relax, Zoisite floated there under her lord's power,   
listening to her brother's almost silent footfalls as he   
crossed over the Zodiac carpet toward the low table that had   
become something of a morbid shrine for the Guardian of   
Space to dwell upon.  
  
*Cosmos...*  
  
Garnet stared down at the table, his mind recoiling from the   
sight. The surface was covered with a rainbow of   
soulstones, loosely arranged in groups--all of them dull,   
gray, *dead*.  
  
All of them. He was looking essentially at an   
open-to-the-air mass grave...  
  
He forced himself to set aside his emotions; they would only   
cause more trouble right now. Numbly, he studied the   
lusterless, seemingly worn stones; almost by itself, his   
hand reached out and picked one up. It was the easiest to   
identify in that morgue of souls, the dual shades of dead   
gray giving away the identity crystallized within.  
  
He returned to Obsidian, putting the stone into the palm of   
his lord's waiting hand. Despite its dimmed, lifeless cast,   
it was still recognizable -- half golden-yellow, half rich   
violet, with almost no mergence in the colors at the   
dividing line.  
  
"Ametrine, my lord," Garnet said, rather unnecessarily; it   
was said more to reassure the suffering Zoisite that help   
was being found than anything else.  
  
The Lord of Lithos quirked an eyebrow up, apparently just a   
little bit surprised at the identity of the Gemlord Healer   
the redheaded spy had chosen. However, one Healer was as   
good as another, and this one could be equally useful at   
other things. Curling his hand around the bicolored   
soulstone, Obsidian softly murmured, "Stay with her, Lord   
Garnet. I shall attend to this."  
  
"As you wish, Sir," the younger man responded, taking those   
last couple of steps between himself and where the slender   
form of the Western Commander floated in the air in a supine   
position under a power not within her own control. "Sir...   
?"  
  
Obsidian turned slightly at the sound, pausing. He had   
started to walk away from the others, stone in hand, when   
Garnet's hesitant question had caught his attention. "What   
is it?"  
  
The redheaded Lithosian kept his violet gaze on his people's   
lord, respectful but challenging as well. "Zo' did her best   
and obviously ran into something she wasn't prepared for.   
She needs your support now, not your censure, Sir." The   
honorific held just the smallest hint of ice in its tone.  
  
*Oh Cosmos, Gar... Don't make him *angry* for Cosmos's   
sake...* Zoisite inwardly groaned, squeezing her eyes shut   
even tighter. She could just see it now, the Guardian of   
Space losing his temper and denying her any help at all, all   
because her sibling had decided now was a good time to stick   
up for what was *right*.  
  
"I'll keep that in mind, *Lord* Garnet," the black- and   
gold-clad Guardian grumbled as he turned back away from the   
pair and continued his walk across the Zodiac-carpeted   
floor. His footsteps hardly heard in the vast, echoing   
chamber, Obsidian smiled faintly as he approached the   
vitreous prison of his own making that stood there next to   
the Vortex Mirror.  
  
He'd enjoyed that last time, the feel of drawing that golden   
power out of the trapped Senshi. There was something quite   
pleasurable in doing that, and in a way he looked forward to   
doing so again. Coming to a halt before the solid effects   
of his own power, the Guardian of Space reached out with his   
free hand and lightly caressed the glass matrix of deepest   
green. *Yes, I feel it... The energy of an entire galaxy,   
waiting, potent...* Long fingers slid along the glassy   
surface as Obsidian closed his eyes, mentally reaching   
within, seeking out to find that reserve of bright yellow   
power.  
  
**What's he doing, Gar?** Despite the pain and the fear,   
Zoisite was as curious as ever. Floating on her back, she   
couldn't see anything from her vantage point -- though   
opening her eyes would have helped some -- save the frescoes   
high up on the Hall's domed ceiling, but she could feel the   
stirrings of *something* beginning to tickle the edges of   
her telempathic senses. She hated not being able to see for   
herself what was going on.  
  
"Shh. Save your strength, Zo'," the redheaded spy softly   
admonished. Shuddering inwardly, his numbed mind realizing   
what his lord -- his *friend* -- was doing, Garnet decided   
that the best course of action was to just not think about   
anything and ignore all that was going on. Concentrating   
instead on offering some comfort to his injured sister, he   
reached out and carefully took one of her hands in his own,   
intertwining their fingers. "He's going to bring back   
Ametrine to Heal you."  
  
Much as she would love to ask her red-haired sibling why   
Ametrine -- she knew that there were some sort of hard   
feelings between the dual Gemlord and Garnet -- something   
about the spy's tone of voice kept her silent. With the   
throbbing pain dominating just about everything in her   
awareness, Zoisite found it too much effort to pursue   
anything, even with her innate curiosity.  
  
*Power. Energy. The tingling brilliance of a galaxy... *   
The dark lord shivered in delight as his awareness touched   
that reservoir of golden brilliance. Drawing it into   
himself, he could feel every nerve humming with the energy,   
the feeling of pleasure rather exhilarating. He siphoned off   
the trapped Sailor Andromeda's power slowly, savoring the   
growing state of bliss that taking the energy gave him.   
*What a rush...*  
  
For a moment, Obsidian even forgot the reason why he was   
doing this, why he needed the energy in the first place. But   
then he became aware of holding something hard and round in   
his hand, and it came back to him.  
  
*Ametrine. Need to give the energy to them.* Stepping   
back, hand lingering on the surface of the glassy prison   
with a reluctance to let go and stop, Obsidian quietly   
sighed as he forced himself to break the contact. Mentally   
balancing the power stolen from Andromeda within himself, he   
turned his attention to the double-colored stone.  
  
Remaining there halfway between the center of the round Hall   
and the polished surface of the Vortex Mirror, the pair of   
young Gemlords could feel the steadily growing sense of   
power swirling around them, could see the brilliance the   
yellow energy gave off as it lit up the place. Garnet   
swallowed hard, pushing aside all the images that came to   
him from what he had witnessed before. Zoisite softly   
moaned, not only in agony from her current injuries, but   
also because what she was sensing emotionally from the   
Guardian of Space was just too horrible to contemplate...  
  
The stolen energy reluctantly given to the dead soulstone,   
the citrine and amethyst gem glowing under its own power as   
the soul within awoke, Obsidian knelt down and placed the   
gently pulsing jewel down onto the rich carpeting that   
covered the floor. He then stepped back, deep brown eyes   
narrowing slightly as he watched the young Gemlord regain   
life and form.  
  
*... If it's my life you want, not my love, I give it to you   
freely...  
  
Memory of pain -- a blast so powerful that it split one form   
in twain, killing one part, leaving the other nearly   
crippled with agony and grief, staring into amber eyes that   
held almost no emotion. *So cold... So violent... What   
happened to you to make you so?*  
  
Garnet watched silently -- when the bright light had   
suddenly been no more, he just had to turn his violet gaze   
to the events going on near the three-stepped dais --   
holding Zoisite's hand in his, as the reawakened Gemlord   
stirred on the floor. Draped in fine veils of   
violet-and-yellow silken fabric that ornamented rather than   
concealed, the body was sleek, graceful, androgynous in its   
balance of wiry muscle and smooth curving lines. The   
curiously beautiful face was marred, at the moment, only by   
the tiny jewel of a tear that slipped beneath the lashes of   
one eye. Those eyes -- violet and gold splintered together,   
like the long hair that framed the Gemlord's face -- opened   
a moment later, as the sense of being *alive* slowly   
registered.  
  
Ametrine sat up slowly, looking around with dreamy   
confusion. Catching sight of Obsidian, the young Gemlord   
gasped softly and started to rise.  
  
Only one form came to its knees, but when bare feet held   
weight against the floor, *two* bodies stood there. In those   
few brief seconds, that oddly nonsexual body blurred and   
then separated, the one form of blended masculine and   
feminine flowing apart into two forms, each one obviously of   
a specific sex. To Garnet's watchful, violet gaze, it   
looked something like mitosis or the forming of two amoeba   
from the splitting of one.  
  
Ametrine's division of physical self was instinctive,   
knowing how others became uneasy around that eerily asexual   
shape. They had found, over the centuries, that most others   
responded better if the physical form had an easily   
identified gender of male or female. Manifesting dual forms   
at once had been the Lithosian's instinctive compromise.  
  
Lord Ametrine had short blonde hair and clear amethystine   
eyes; Lady Ametrine's rich violet hair hung in a long   
opulent cloak past her waist, and her eyes were a vivid   
sunlight-gold. Still holding each other's hand, the twinned   
selves of Ametrine rushed to greet Obsidian, identical   
bright smiles on their faces. "My lord! You're all right!"   
the lady called out, a bright smile gracing her face, an   
expression as sunny as the color of her eyes.  
  
"I knew we could count on you, my lord," the lord stated at   
nearly the same time as his other half spoke.  
  
Obsidian smiled back just as brightly. For a moment, the   
Cosmos was a slightly better place. One more of his   
precious people lived again. As the twin bodies crowded   
around him and he found himself in the young Lithosian's   
dual embrace, the Guardian of Space chuckled and hugged them   
back in equal measure, both lord and lady alike. "I'm glad   
to see you too, Ametrine."  
  
Observing from something of a distance, Garnet set his jaw   
and plastered a rather fake smile on his face. Yes, the   
dual Lithosian was quite fond of the dark lord -- most   
Gemlords were; after all, Obsidian held a special place   
within their entire society -- but did they have to be so   
*obvious* about it? Luckily for the young spy, the reunion   
was short-lived.  
  
Noting that the newly reawakened Gemlord was about to launch   
into a double questioning of what's happened and what's gone   
on, Obsidian slipped his arm from around the amethyst-haired   
lady and held up that hand in a gesture of warding off.   
"Before you start asking me all sorts of things, I have need   
of your skills, Lady Ametrine."  
  
"My lord?" both the lord and the lady asked, their voices   
blending together perfectly, golden and violet eyes   
registering their startlement.  
  
"Zoisite's been wounded. I need you to Heal her."  
  
Instantly the twin Gemlord turned their eyes toward the   
center of the Hall, amethyst and citrine gazes falling on   
the floating blond and the far-too-cheerful-appearing   
redhead. The lady nodded, long hair swaying just slightly,   
then rippling around her as she briskly strode over to where   
Zoisite continued to be levitated. "What happened to her?"   
the lord asked, turning his attention back to the Guardian   
of Space.  
  
Before Obsidian could reply, Garnet growled out an answer.   
"She ran into something big and nasty. I would think that's   
obvious."  
  
"No sense in remaining angry about it, Lord Garnet," the   
dark lord responded. "While you Heal the Western Commander,   
I'll tell you what I know, Ametrine."  
  
************************************  
  
*Sorry, little Senshi, but face it. It's just not going to   
work.* Kunzite watched, seemingly dispassionately, as yet   
another arc of blue-white lightning lit up the evening sky   
and blazed through the air toward his swirling shell of   
protective energy. The silly child had blasted away at him   
a couple of times, both getting the same result. Against   
her basic attack, he had very little to worry about.  
  
"Get down here and fight like a *man*, Kunzite!" Jupiter   
snarled, seeing her Thunder Crash still have no effect   
against her elegant, pale-haired foe.  
  
"Well, well, isn't this your lucky night?" the Fire Warrior   
purred, smirking slightly. "I feel like humoring you just a   
bit." A toss of his arm sent his cape flaring outward while   
simultaneously dropping his protective shielding. He then   
leapt up and balanced for a moment on the railing of the   
apartment balcony just long enough to shift his momentum   
forward before springing forcefully forward. Pale lavender   
cloth and lavender-tinged hair rippled in the wake of his   
telekinetically-guided freefall. Landing on his booted feet   
as graceful as any great cat, Kunzite allowed himself a   
faint grin as he watched the green- and white-clad Senshi   
draw herself up into a wary stance.  
  
Sailor Jupiter was determined to not give him even a moment   
to prepare. Though startled at his sudden descent, the   
ponytailed girl swiftly recovered, her pretty face settling   
into a grim expression. The minute he touched down onto the   
city sidewalk, the Energetic Warrior burst into motion, one   
white-gloved hand bunched up in a fist. "Eeyah!" the   
brunette shouted as she swung her fist right at the smirking   
man's face.  
  
That smirk never once faltered as Kunzite leaned swiftly to   
one side, dodging the blow with perfect precision even as he   
took a step back. Just as easily dodged were the second,   
and third punches, each one making a few strands of his hair   
float in the wind of Jupiter's fist and each time he took   
another step back.  
  
"Damn you," the athletic girl growled, darting forward and   
attempting to deck the Negadweeb yet again.  
  
*Smack*.  
  
Jupiter gasped, forest green eyes going wide as she felt the   
momentum of her hand stop dead. Her foe had caught her hand   
in his, the long fingers forming a stronger-than-expected   
prison for her gloved fist. Growling, she lashed out with a   
foot, only to feel herself suddenly up-ended violently, her   
back crashing hard against the pavement of the sidewalk.   
The damned bastard must have grabbed her by the foot and   
used her own momentum against herself.  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" Kunzite softly murmured,   
raising a hand and pulling up energy within himself. It was   
all but over now.  
  
**Kunzite! Return to the Tower, at once!**  
  
The Fire Warrior hesitated, jaw setting in annoyance. Just   
like last time, when he and Zoisite had almost had the   
remainder of the Rainbow Crystals from Tuxedo Mask; victory   
was in his grasp, and he was being called away.  
  
However, it wasn't his place to question. From the tone of   
Lord Obsidian's command, the Southern Commander would be   
best served by instantly obeying. **As you wish, my lord.**   
Inwardly sighing, the tall Gemlord stepped back away from   
the prostrate Senshi, lowering his hand and shifting the   
thrumming energy to different channels. He'd need that for   
the teleport back through the Mirror into the Tower in the   
heart of the Vortex.  
  
"Venus Crescent Beam *Smash*!"  
  
The new voice cracked through the air, the sounds coming too   
fast for Kunzite to react swiftly enough. The caped Gemlord   
had only enough time to turn toward the source of the shout   
before the racing bolt of golden energy struck him. He hit   
the wall of the apartment building hard, his breath nearly   
knocked out of him.  
  
"Hurry up, Moon! He's not going to stay off-balance for   
long! Jupiter? Are you all right?" Orange heeled shoes   
making sharp footfalls against the asphalt, her long   
sunny-gold hair flowing out behind her, Sailor Venus hurried   
over toward where the brunette Scout was beginning to climb   
to her booted feet.  
  
*I don't have time for this. Vortex Mirror Return!* Feeling   
the power of the Symbol of Space reach out and surround him,   
pulling him towards it, Kunzite relaxed and let the obsidian   
artifact take control, yanking him from the physical reality   
of Terra and into the Vortex between all places.  
  
"Damn, he's getting away," Jupiter complained, straightening   
up while watching the oddly-attired man's form shimmer away   
in the midst of an aura of violet-pink light. "Yeah, I'm all   
right, Venus," she added, frowning as she absently began   
smoothing down her rather ruffled Scout uniform.  
  
"Oh, Jupiter! I'm so glad to see that you're okay!" Red   
boots clicking along the hard surface of the street, her   
twin bun-topped ponytails streaming out behind her, Sailor   
Moon loped over to where the other two Scouts were standing.   
"You're not hurt or anything, are you?"  
  
"No, no, I'm fine. Just a bit furious, that's all." The   
tall brunette sighed, then turned to look over at her   
friends. "Come on. Let's hurry back to the shrine before   
they regroup and come back. I'll tell you what happened to   
me and then you can tell me what happened earlier."  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Venus confirmed, starting down   
the street. Right behind her came the other two, the trio   
of girl warriors keeping eyes and ears open for any sign   
that their foes had returned. There was going to be a lot   
of explaining to do on everyone's part. 


	9. 

EARTHSHINE   
  
  
"Come on, Nephrite. Snap out of it. Say something to me.   
Anything!" Draco stared down at the far too pale face of   
the boy, heart and soul *willing* him to show some sign of   
life. Shifting slightly, her sleek, black-clad body in a   
crouch, the golden cape draped from her shoulders a bunched   
up wad of cloth underneath the curve of her buttock, the   
Dragon Senshi remained huddled in the shadows, the youth's   
blood-drenched upper body resting against her thighs and   
knees.  
  
Black despair welled up within her, threatening to snuff out   
everything that remained within her warm and caring, as the   
auburn-haired boy continued to lie draped there,   
unresponsive. *No, you can't leave me again. You just   
*can't*.*  
  
She'd run for as long as she had dared, determined to get   
the boy to some sort of help. But when he'd seemed to slip   
into an insensate stupor, she'd come to a halt, habit   
forcing her to find a sheltered spot away from the prying   
eyes of strangers. She couldn't tell then if it was too   
late; she wondered now if it was, though she could feel a   
thready pulse there under the fingertip of her verdant   
glove.  
  
Even as she stared down at the youthful face, a face that   
held only faint hints of the powerful man he had been   
before, she could see that *something* was beginning to   
happen. Her breath catching in her throat and her   
antique-gold eyes widening, she lifted her hand from the   
boy's neck as his body became surrounded by a faint shimmer   
of something that looked to her like greenish-silver   
starlight. *The hell--?*  
  
The shimmer brightened, obscuring the features of the youth   
draped across her. Through her bodysuit, she could feel a   
faint, tingling warmth from whatever energy it was that held   
the boy's body in its grasp. Then, abruptly, that body began   
to change shape, getting wider, longer, bigger. Softly   
gasping, the sudden extra weight startling even though her   
dense muscles found it no strain at all to support it, all   
Draco could do was continue to watch in absolute   
astonishment as the boy she'd held quite literally grew up   
in the span of a few heartbeats.  
  
Even after that, the silver-green starlight continued to   
play around the auburn-haired man's form, concentrating over   
the wound that she knew went completely through his   
shoulder. She could feel the corresponding spot on his   
back, where his shoulder pressed up against the dark fabric   
of her bodysuit, get even warmer, threatening to become   
perhaps even uncomfortably so before the glimmering aura   
just suddenly cut out, leaving the two of them once more in   
the inky darkness of the shadows.  
  
"Nephrite," she breathed, her voice a whisper of awe and   
joy. Once more she looked upon that face that she had come   
to know so well; once more she held that familiar form   
against her.  
  
He was there again, just as she remembered him -- the long   
red-brown hair, the broad shoulders and athletic build, the   
trim hips and muscular legs, the drop-dead gorgeous visage.   
However, the clothes that covered his form were different,   
not the Negaverse gray uniform that she'd always seen him   
in. No, this uniform, though similar, was jet black -- as   
black as night, as black as space -- trimmed in a gorgeous   
emerald green, a square of the same color emblazoned on the   
shoulder of a sleeve of the jacket. On his shoulders were   
the brooches she'd come to expect, only these were different   
as well, being oval and smooth, bearing jade-green stones.   
And from them hung an emerald-green-lined and silver-trimmed   
cape that was as black as his uniform. Around his head   
glimmered a silver circlet adorned with another cabochon of   
jade-green stone while around his waist was tied a belt of a   
lighter verdant hue edged in silver, silver fringing   
decorating the ends.  
  
Draco immediately decided that she liked this uniform better   
on him than that yellow-trimmed gray one that Beryl had   
insisted he wear. This one made him look far more dashing,   
in her humble opinion.  
  
"Nephrite?" she called again, worried that he'd still not   
stirred.  
  
Slowly, the jade-green eyes opened, clear, beautiful, no   
longer marred by pain. With a look of wonder within them,   
he realized that he was looking up into a nighttime sky, the   
familiar light of his friends, the stars, shining down on   
him. For a moment, everything was peaceful, joyful. He   
continued to *exist*.  
  
Then the voice came, pulling him from his inward musings,   
tugging his awareness back to the outside world. Shifting   
his gaze toward the source, he blinked in astonishment,   
seeing a familiar face underneath the dragon-fanged circlet   
of a Senshi. "Siolan?" he whispered, and with that word   
came a rush of images: Zoisite and Lita fighting in the   
cemetery, the pain of the ice sword as it had impaled him,   
the transformations of two Senshi. Sitting up abruptly,   
Nephrite reached down and nearly ripped open his uniform   
jacket, a hand slipping in to press against his skewered   
shoulder.  
  
*Nothing.* No hole, no sticky blood, not even a lingering   
tenderness. *But how... ?*  
  
Draco remained silent, watching, rocking back on her   
haunches after the uniformed man slid off her to sit on the   
ground and thrust his hand under his ebony coat. Unsure   
what to think but also immensely relieved to see him somehow   
healthy and whole, she inwardly scowled at the sudden   
nervousness that filled her.  
  
Even as he wondered, he could feel the stirrings of   
something within him, an intimate awareness of how his body   
-- his Gemlord body, he instantly realized; no more did he   
feel himself dying around himself cell by cell -- filled his   
awareness. It was a power he'd forgotten he had, one that   
he'd not even thought about for centuries. The power to   
Heal. Somehow, Serenity's gentle touch had reawakened that   
ability within his soul.  
  
"Healing... I Healed myself..." he murmured to himself,   
absently refastening the ebony, emerald-trimmed jacket. "How   
pathetic of me that I had forgotten I had that power."   
Slowly rising to his feet, the long cape rustling in the   
night air, Nephrite remained thinking over his time in the   
Negaverse and came to a simple conclusion. "No, not   
forgotten. Made to forget..."  
  
"Nephrite? Are you all right?" Draco asked again, his   
apparent inattention to her burning question making her   
voice take on a frustrated, insistent tone that overrode the   
surging happiness welling up from the place that she had   
thought dead within herself.  
  
"Hmm?" The Gemlord turned his gaze to the black-, green- and   
gold-clad woman still crouching there next to him. "Yes,   
yes, I'm quite all right now. More than all right." Then   
his jade-green eyes narrowed, anger settling on his handsome   
features. "You never told me you were a Senshi."  
  
The redheaded woman's own ire sparked in response to his.   
Once again, she was looking at the brusque, nearly-always   
angry man he had been as a general of the Negaverse, and a   
part of her felt disappointed at that. "You never asked,"   
she shot back.  
  
"I could have used that help. No matter," Nephrite   
responded, his voice taking on a tone that announced that   
the discussion was closed. "It's in the past now. I have   
something to accomplish in the here and now."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I need to help Princess Jupiter and her friends."  
  
"For hell's sake," Draco growled, swiftly rising to her   
feet. "Helping them almost got you killed."  
  
"I don't expect you to understand," the auburn-haired man   
replied. "I do expect you to help. Come on."  
  
"Just a damned minute here," she said, a low growl stressing   
her aggravation and masking the stab of hurt at his   
brusqueness. After all the time they'd been forced to spend   
apart, she'd hoped for something more tender in the way of a   
reunion. "I'm not your flunky. Any subordinate association   
I had with you was over with the moment that bitch Beryl   
decided I'd be better off dead than giving *you* any   
backing. I work to please myself and nobody else these   
days."  
  
He glared at her, those jade-green eyes looking at her with   
some sort of accusation deep within them. "So that's the way   
of it? Nothing matters but what you get out of it?"  
  
She drew herself up, throwing her shoulders back with the   
iron pride she'd worn in the Negaverse, meeting his gaze   
with the razor challenge of her own. "It's made things a   
hell of a lot more tolerable ever since I was driven out of   
the Negaverse and away from you by Beryl's little   
hellhounds." She toyed with a lock of the flaming hair that   
tumbled down over her shoulder. "Since you've decided to go   
back to acting like the same jackass you were when I first   
met you, I've got no problem behaving in a similar fashion,   
no matter how much I've missed you." She gave him a   
brittle, wicked smile. "So what will you give me to help   
you *this* time, lover?"  
  
He didn't have time for this. Didn't have time to sort out   
the morass of emotion he found within himself at seeing her   
there, hearing her words. Didn't have time, more than   
likely, to really *listen*. All he *heard* was that she   
wanted something for her efforts, that everything was a   
business deal to her. Everything.  
  
He needed to find Jupiter. The best place to do that would   
be at the chapel. There, he could gather his focus and ask   
the stars to help him locate the brunette princess.  
  
"You disgust me," Nephrite finally said, turning away from   
the gold-caped Senshi and her brittle smile. Walking off   
into the night, a black shadow within the embrace of the   
surrounding darkness, his tall form then faded away in the   
center of a swirl of silvery-green starlight.  
  
The only reason why he was spared a shot in the back was   
because Draco couldn't move at all. She stood as if she'd   
been turned to stone, something inside twisting and   
shattering like a sheet of ice peeling away from a glacier,   
coming apart in so many pieces that it felt as if it could   
never, ever be healed again.  
  
*You disgust me.*  
  
She had never expected to hear those words. Not after all   
this time, after all the pain. He was the only one who   
could touch that vulnerable place in her, beyond the armor,   
beyond the scarring of her soul, the place that was still   
alive.  
  
*You disgust me.*  
  
He was the only one who could touch that place, and with   
three words -- three careless, emotionless words -- he had   
betrayed her, driven shards of agony into the living heart   
of her.  
  
*You disgust me.*  
  
She had suffered without him, suffered as if half her being   
had been ripped away. Every day, every moment without him   
had added another tiny wound, another minuscule scar to the   
knotted surface of her spirit. Seeing him die at the hands   
of Zoisite's youma had almost killed her. Finding him   
again, even in the form of a Terran boy-child, had revived   
her.  
  
*You disgust me.*  
  
And now he had split her soul and made her bleed again.  
  
She sank to her knees, burying her face in her hands, giving   
voice to a long, inhuman scream of pain and grief and loss   
that echoed across the concrete canyons of Tokyo. People   
woke in sudden cold sweats, hearing that sound and wondering   
if the sleeping dragon beneath the city streets had awakened   
to grieve for something they, the mortals, could not even   
begin to fathom...  
  
*******************************  
  
The chapel was warm, comforting, the sound of the dance of   
the stars sweet music. Nephrite stood there in the center   
of the room, staring up at the night-darkened rose window up   
above. Had there been moonlight shining through it, he   
would have been bathed in the jewel-toned splashes of light   
that would have resulted. But try as he might, his thoughts   
wouldn't turn to the task he knew was at hand. No, they kept   
dwelling upon the fiery-haired Senshi, the mercenary who had   
been one of the last things to have kept any sort of spark   
of his old self alive there in the heart of the Negaverse.  
  
They'd been lovers, bound together by a mutual something   
that ran hot and bright even in the heart of the chaotic   
darkness. Cool and aloof to one another where everyone   
could see, they had made up for it in their moments of   
shared privacy, the entire relationship one built on who was   
taking from whom. Even so, there was *something* underneath   
all that, something that stayed deeply hidden for fear of   
being strangled in the uncaring reality of the Negaverse.  
  
Words came back to haunt him, words spoken to an innocent,   
naive Terran girl. *I don't know what love is...*  
  
*That's not entirely correct,* Nephrite silently mused,   
figuring out the truth behind his observation. *I forgot   
what love was, but I remember it now... How it feels, what   
it is, what it can do...*  
  
Because of the love he'd once had for Princess Jupiter, a   
love that he'd betrayed, he needed to make things right for   
her. He needed to help her and her friends against whatever   
it was Lord Obsidian wanted from them, no matter his past   
loyalties to the Guardian of Space.  
  
Because of the love he felt for Siolan, hearing her saying   
that he had to give her something in return for her help had   
*hurt* and he'd lashed out in typical fashion.  
  
*Because of the love...*  
  
He still loved her. Jade-green eyes widened at the   
realization, leaving him breathless. He'd loved her, even in   
those frantic moments when they'd fought for dominance over   
one another. He'd loved her, even when the reality of his   
existence should have killed off anything even remotely   
resembling love. And he'd made himself forget what love was   
after he'd heard she'd been killed.  
  
And with that realization came another. He'd left her,   
walking away from her all by choice. Her words played back   
in his head, over and over, making him flush in   
embarrassment. Dread filled him as he discovered that he   
really hadn't listened to her at all, but rather had focused   
on the one thing he was sure she only cared about. She had   
missed him, said she was reverting to character because he   
had started being a jackass again, yet all he had been able   
to focus on was her asking what he'd pay her this time   
around for her services.  
  
*She missed me? Could it be... ?*  
  
The curse that echoed through the peaceful atmosphere of the   
chapel was enough to blister even the most jaded of ears.   
Silver-green starlight swirled around him as he reached out   
to where he'd last left her.  
  
*******************************  
  
She wasn't there. The black-clad Gemlord bit back both a   
snarl of pure frustration and a growing sense of dread.   
Looking around, his heart almost lurched into his throat   
when he saw the blood, the broken masonry. Something had   
happened to her...  
  
Almost desperately, his gaze scanned along the street. The   
shattered brick and the sanguine smears and drops appeared   
to form a trail of some sort, pointing the way to where the   
Senshi had gone. Whatever had happened, she'd not covered   
it up. Black boots making firm sounds against the concrete   
under his stride, he followed the screamingly obvious clues,   
his sense of panic growing with each step.  
  
Her hands were bloody, which seemed appropriate, though it   
was her own dark blood that stained the green gloves --   
blood shed from flesh that was bruised and aching from being   
battered against brick walls. She had fled that place the   
moment she could move again, unable to stand her ground   
against the pain that came from inside.  
  
Of course, the professional part of her was aggravated by   
the fact that she must have left a trail anyone with eyes in   
their head could have followed. The bloodstains and chipped   
bricks would have been a dead giveaway, as would the   
half-ruined fire escape that had made itself inconvenient to   
her and subsequently been ripped up by the Dragon Claws.  
  
Draco lay in a huddled curl on an apartment rooftop, her   
bloody hands pressed to her chest. The dull throbbing in   
her fingers was almost indistinguishable from the sharp,   
stabbing pain in her chest. It felt rather like a broken   
heart, but she would never have admitted to such a   
romantical notion right now.  
  
*You disgust me.*  
  
The bloodtrail stopped with a twisted, mangled, violently   
abused fire escape. Beyond that, there was no further sign   
that she'd passed that way in any of the directions he'd   
hastily checked. Frowning, Nephrite returned to the sheared   
and warped metal, forced himself to relax and open his   
senses. Too much time being locked up in a Terran body with   
only that one ability allowed him; he'd practically   
forgotten about the other powers in his arsenal. Scanning   
outward with his mind, he searched for her, somehow knowing   
that she would be close.  
  
*Pain... Dull and throbbing, sharp jagged twinges...* His   
own heart ached at feeling her reduced to *that*. How   
stupid and careless he'd been. Utterly stupid. Utterly   
careless.  
  
Using that agonizing despair as a beacon, a sullen red beam   
of light guiding his way, Nephrite once again called upon   
his power to teleportation to whisk himself to a new   
location. Finding himself on a rooftop up above the city   
streets, the cool night air ruffling his long hair and dark   
cape, the brilliant stars high above and glimmering down on   
the scene, he sighed in complete misery the moment he laid   
eyes upon her.  
  
That overweening pride was gone. She seemed a huddled,   
broken mass, no longer the vibrant, aggravatingly arrogant   
and self-confident woman he'd come to love. And he'd   
managed to do it, just by saying something in haste and   
anger. Swallowing his own pride, the Gemlord slowly walked   
over to where the Senshi lay curled up in obvious distress.  
  
Recalling her taunting words, the ones that had disgusted   
him so, he softly murmured, "How about my heart, Siolan?"  
  
She knew he was there. In the Negaverse, there were times   
when she could have awakened from a sound sleep in an   
unfamiliar room and pointed unerringly to his location.   
What bothered her was that she didn't know exactly why he'd   
come back to find her now. The fresh wound in that   
vulnerable place within her throbbed painfully as she waited   
for another cruel blow, something that would kill forever   
the last scraps of a caring spirit that remained to her.  
  
His gentle words caught her off-guard, just as his harsh   
ones had before. She lifted her head slightly, opening her   
eyes to gaze at him.  
  
Ye gods, he was magnificent in the starlight, somehow more   
real, more *alive* than she had ever seen him, and a soft   
sweet ache blossomed beneath the painful gash in her soul.   
She forced her voice to emptiness, wary and uncertain of his   
motivations. "Don't mock me, Nephrite. We're not the same   
people we used to be. Why should you offer to pay me in   
*that* coin?"  
  
Starlight continued to shine down on them, on him, as he   
swept his jade-green gaze over her. Maybe it was a trick of   
what light there was, between the stars he'd called on to   
show him things and the bright, artificial lights erected by   
mortal hands to stave off the shroud of the night, but there   
seemed to be an echoing pain there on his face even though   
she was sure his jaw tightened in that way it always did   
when he got annoyed with something.  
  
He crouched down then, lowering himself to get more to her   
level, that emerald-lined cape pooling into sable darkness   
beneath him against the roof of the apartment building. "Why   
do you feel my offering you my heart is a mockery of you?   
The currency isn't good enough for you, then? What would you   
want from me, Siolan?"  
  
Before she could reply, he was speaking again, now looking   
obviously annoyed. But his words made it clear that it was   
himself that he was angry at, not her. "Though I'm sure   
there's nothing in this world or any other that I could   
offer you to make up for what I've just done. I'm sorry."  
  
He hoped the apology would be enough. The words came hard;   
it had been a very long time since he allowed himself to   
even acknowledge responsibility for anything negative   
happening to another. The last time he had done so, it had   
been to a grief-stricken, young Terran girl, and he had   
wanted her to know, before what he thought would be the end   
of it all, that he truly was *sorry*.  
  
He felt the same way now, wanting to take back his stupid,   
hasty words and make it somehow better for her. So many   
mistakes . . . He shook his head slightly, long mane of   
auburn hair sliding against his caped shoulders. "I'm sorry,   
Siolan. I hope you can find it in you to believe me."  
  
Draco watched his face for a long moment, her golden eyes   
expressionless, unreadable. Then she pushed herself up on   
her elbow, reaching out to touch his face; her glove left a   
smear of her own hot, dark blood on his skin. "I never,   
ever heard you say 'I'm sorry' before. Not once." A   
slight, rare smile flickered across her lips. "That was   
almost worth the price of admission all by itself. And you,   
by the way, look spectacular in that outfit."  
  
Sitting up on her heels, she pushed the heavy mane of red   
hair back behind her shoulders, wincing as she moved her   
fingers. "Well, Nephrite. If you want to help the little   
lightning-tosser, we'd better get moving. I left her facing   
down Kunzite when I took you out of there. And by the   
way...?"  
  
She grabbed his collar and pulled him very, very close.   
"Can you explain what in nine screaming hells *happened* to   
you? You were a *Terran boy*, and now you're not, and   
either I get some answers or we're going to have a fight   
that makes the arguments we *used* to have look like   
schoolyard tiffs."  
  
The Gemlord's immediate reaction was to stiffen up, the   
lines of his body taking on a haughty, offended tone. How   
dare she think she could just yank him around as she   
pleased, especially after he'd *apologized*, especially   
after he'd told her he'd give her his heart, *especially*   
after he'd been hit and interrogated by Lita and then   
skewered by Zoisite? The light in his eyes turned hostile,   
brittle, but Nephrite fought back the anger. When he spoke,   
his low, richly-toned voice was pitched at a conversational   
level. "Yes, Siolan, I can promise you some answers, but   
this isn't exactly the time or the place. The Inner Senshi   
need help, and they need it now. Please... Just trust me   
for once? And while you're at it, could you please let me   
go?"  
  
It was almost endearing, seeing the dark-clad man acting so   
noble. Almost.  
  
"I need to return to the chapel at home and find out what's   
happened to Jupiter. If Kunzite's taken her, I need to try   
to rescue her. If he somehow managed to not get her, then I   
need to meet with the Senshi and find out just what's been   
going on," Nephrite added, his gaze continuing to meet the   
antique-gold one of the woman holding him by the collar of   
his ebony jacket.  
  
Draco watched his expression change; the corner of her mouth   
curved in a dusky smirk. He always *did* have a bit of   
pomposity in his character. She'd found it entertaining to   
puncture his ego now and then, just to keep him from getting   
too full of himself.  
  
"I always did trust you, even in the Negaverse." She pulled   
him a notch closer by his collar, her lashes shading her   
brilliant eyes suddenly. It wasn't one of the hard,   
aggressive kisses that he was used to getting from her; this   
was a light, delicate butterfly-kiss, a teasing, tempting   
stroke of her lips across his. *Then* she let go of his   
collar. "Just for old times' sake, I'll actually let you   
take the lead. Let's go."  
  
Of all the things he expected her to do -- after all, he was   
well aware of her obstinacy, her need to control and   
dominate; he was *still* amazed that he felt anything tender   
toward someone with her personality -- *that* was one not   
even on the list. At the tug on his clothing, her face   
getting closer, he'd closed his eyes in response to the   
gradual inability to keep her smirking visage in focus.   
That petal-soft brush of her lips sent an almost   
electrifying tingle down his spine; were it not for that, he   
would have sworn he'd only imagined such a gesture. In many   
ways, just that little action, so seemingly out of character   
to the Siolan he remembered from centuries past, drove home   
her observation that they had both changed. Perhaps it was   
the truth for them both.  
  
He was still just a bit dazed when he felt the pressure on   
his jacket holding him in place disappear, though her words   
sent a spark of his old, easily-ignited ire flaming through   
him. *How *generous* of you,* he mentally responded, though   
the continued tingle on his lips from the contact with hers   
kept him from actually uttering the words.  
  
Shaking off the aftereffect, Nephrite softly growled,   
irritated at himself for being so easily affected by   
something as minuscule as a feather-light kiss. "Well, then.   
If you're going to tag along, can you do so under your own   
power?" His words had something of a sneer to them; his   
pride was still wounded that she'd kept the fact that she   
was Sailor Something-or-Other secret from him all those   
centuries. "Or will I have to club you over the head and   
drag you off by your hair?"  
  
Draco laughed -- his slightly dazed expression was *worth*   
the growly tone -- and grandly slipped her hand into the   
crook of his elbow. "Don't make offers that excite me   
unless you *want* to forget about finding Sailor Jupiter,   
handsome. Let's go."  
  
It seemed almost the most natural of things for her hand to   
be there, so casually placed, though neither one of them   
really paid attention to the drying dark liquid staining her   
green gloves and most likely being smeared against the black   
fabric of his uniform jacket. The sultry little purr that   
slipped into her voice made Nephrite even more aware of her   
presence there, and part of him wondered if she was still as   
good as she had been all those centuries ago.  
  
However, the other part of his mind was already reaching out   
across the distances, making that mental connection between   
*here* and *there*. Letting the comforting power of his   
inborn energy swirl around body and soul, he opened himself   
up to the transfer.  
  
Light flared around them both -- around her -- a scintillating   
radiance that was somehow soothing and exciting both. This   
is what starlight would feel like, were it a tactile rather   
than a visual sensation. The swirl of iridescence   
surrounded her, sucking her in...  
  
Then there was *nothing*. No sound, no sight, nothing but   
the throb of her heartbeat like a great drum whose sound   
filled the entire universe. One, two, then three beats   
passed before she was suddenly back in reality again.  
  
The first thing she noticed as sensation again became part   
of her awareness was that she still had a hand on Nephrite's   
arm. The second thing she noticed was that she was in a   
place that had the hushed and peaceful atmosphere of   
someplace holy. Darkness surrounded them, alleviated only   
by the light of four candles, each one gleaming from within   
a colored container, the dancing hued light flickering   
across a bare floor. To the north, high above the flame   
surrounded by emerald green glass, a rose window of an   
intricate star-like design overlooked the area contained   
within the church-like, sparsely-furnished room.  
  
The place was hauntingly familiar. He'd had a room just   
like this in his private quarters within the Negaverse.  
  
"Now to find out what happened to Sailor Jupiter," the   
auburn-haired Gemlord said, his voice one of the few sounds   
that would never disrupt the quiet power of this place.  
  
It was an unnervingly familiar place, but Draco felt   
something... different about this chamber. The one he'd   
maintained in that cavernous, sun-less realm had never felt   
so *pure*, so unstained. It had felt a lot less gloomy than   
the rest of the dark domain, but comparing it to here was   
like matching a candleflame to a bonfire.  
  
Her hands throbbed as she stepped away from him, and she   
winced, flexing her battered fingers. She'd really done a   
number on them; she knew she ought to go soak them in ice,   
but it didn't seem like an appropriate moment to ask   
Nephrite to point the way to his freezer.  
  
A couple of steps forward, the booted feet silent in the   
hushed atmosphere. Nephrite closed his eyes and bowed his   
head, starting to slow his breathing. *Take one deep breath   
in and feel the ambient energy begin to fill you, let that   
breath out slowly, feeling any tension, any disturbance of   
your harmony drain out with the breath. Take another breath   
in, deeply, feel the energy...*  
  
Something... wasn't right. It was a something that poked   
and prodded at him, keeping him from easily centering   
himself. A corner of his mouth turned down; the sensation   
was a hauntingly familiar one, but one he couldn't place   
right away. Somehow, somewhere, he'd sensed this before,   
but for the life of him...  
  
Abruptly the auburn-haired man turned, found himself gazing   
at the redheaded Senshi. The words were out before he even   
had time to think on them: "Something's wrong with you..."  
  
Before she could protest, before she could deny his   
statement, he was there at her side, strong hands grabbing   
her by the wrists, lifting them up so that he could gaze   
down on her verdant-gloved hands.  
  
Darkness stained them, and he remembered the trail he'd   
followed -- broken masonry, twisted metal and drips and   
smears of blood. Blood. She'd hurt herself. *That's* what   
he was sensing, the pain her injuries were giving her. Yes,   
that made sense... It was a part of this power that had been   
reawakened after so long, a part that searched for pain from   
injury, disease or poison in order to combat it head on, to   
make whole and healthy again that which no longer was.  
  
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Nephrite asked, still holding   
her wrists in the grip of his hands. "Or is it only here?"  
  
Draco blinked, surprised. It wasn't as if he'd *seen* the   
blood on her gloves; there was something else going on here.   
It actually took her a moment to recover from her   
startlement and answer. "That's it. Kunzite threw me   
around a bit, but those are just bruises, nothing   
dangerous."  
  
"This shouldn't take overly long," he replied, eyes closing.   
Within him, this newly awakened power surged and churned,   
the need to make her whole again creating a somewhat   
insistent demand. It frightened him, just a little, to   
sense this part of himself becoming demanding after being   
strangled into oblivion for so long. Even so, the mastery   
of it came back to him easily enough.  
  
His hands began to become limed with that silvery-green   
radiance that seemed to be the true manifestation of his   
powers; Draco could see the faint glow there in the darkened   
chapel. Then came the warmth, flowing out of him and into   
her, the pain in her torn and abused fingers giving way to a   
rather pleasant-feeling tingling. She could sense   
*something* happening within, that warmth and tingling   
turning to an almost itching sensation, even as the heat   
from him continued to flow through her, searching,   
seeking...  
  
In his mind, he could see how the tissues should be,   
*willed* them to mend themselves back into the pattern they   
should have as dictated by her genetic code. Though hidden   
by the fabric of the green gloves, Nephrite knew that the   
lacerations and abrasions were fading away as new tissue   
replaced that which was lost or damaged. Other things wrong   
came to his attention; as she said, most were just deep   
contusions, and they too were efficiently handled by the   
power that surged through him in its quest to heal.  
  
It was swiftly done, the Healing not needing to be an   
extensive one. Slipping from the trance-like state, Nephrite   
let go of Draco's wrists and took a step back, opening and   
blinking his eyes as he went about the business of   
reorienting himself.  
  
He'd forgotten just how *good* Healing could make one   
feel...  
  
"What shouldn't take..." Draco cut herself off, feeling   
that odd, warm tingling. She stared at him mutely, then   
looked down at her gloved hands, *knowing* that the torn   
flesh was sealing, the bruises fading. The sensation was   
startling; it had been literally hundreds of years since the   
last time she had received magical treatment. Never would   
she have imagined that her Negaverse lover could possess   
that power...  
  
Her voice was only a whisper as he stepped away. "Who are   
you really, Nephrite?"  
  
Jade-green eyes stared back at her; his jaw set again in   
that hardness that gave away his sudden irritation. "Not   
now, Siolan. Any other time, I'd happily indulge you, but   
right now..."  
  
A shake of his head, that magnificent mane of his swirling   
slightly around his face and shoulders, and then he walked   
away, back to the center of the hushed chapel. He faced   
north, toward that emerald-covered flame, toward the rose   
window, toward what looked like some sort of altar -- Draco   
could see it as a small rectangle of what looked like dark   
stone, about waist high, a velvety-looking cloth of one of   
the most gorgeous shades of dark green she'd ever seen   
draped over it -- there against the wall opposite the   
doorway into the sacred space.  
  
He was a dark shadow there in the flickering candlelight,   
and she could hear him take a couple of deep, slow breaths.  
  
"The movement of the stars knows everything."  
  
His simple sentence was voiced with a conviction that   
brooked no challenge to his apparent belief. But it wasn't   
until he took a deep breath and continued speaking that she   
even realized that he was performing some sort of ritual.   
And as he spoke, Draco watched in fascination as the chapel   
darkened even more, the space in the center of the room   
becoming filled with the moving, living and breathing image   
of what seemed to be the star system in which this planet --   
Terra -- resided, the stately orbits of the nine planets   
against the background of the stars of the Zodiac projected   
there for them to see like some sort of great cosmic dance.   
And the sound... She couldn't quite place it, but the   
impression she would always have later was that she had   
heard every sound imaginable voiced together in perfect   
harmony into a song that filled the entire universe with a   
crystalline pure melody that defied all description save a   
very pale expression as "aum".  
  
"I call upon the planet Jupiter, stately ruler who oversees   
expansion, opportunity for new growth and one's talents..."  
  
Within that vision of the dance of the stars, the orbit of   
the largest Solar planet began to pulse with a verdant   
light, the astrological symbol for the planet glowing   
greenly in the heart of the illusory sun.  
  
"Show to me your warrior, mighty Jupiter," Nephrite   
continued, mind holding the image of the girl he knew was   
the Senshi of that planet, his will reinforcing his desire   
to locate the ponytailed brunette. "Give to me her current   
location."  
  
The miniature sun in the center of the vision, still shining   
with the Jovian glyph, began to pulse, a heart-like rhythm   
that seemed to keep time with that awesome, ageless music.   
Then a beam of emerald light shot forth from the center of   
the vision like an arrow, striking the deep green stone in   
the center of the silver circlet Nephrite wore around his   
head. Draco heard him gasp, then give voice to a   
barely-heard moan and in neither case did she get the   
impression that the sensation was *unpleasant* for him.   
Quite the opposite, in fact.  
  
"Ah yes... Lita Kino, otherwise known as Sailor Jupiter, the   
Energetic Warrior," the black-clad man finally said, his   
deep voice holding a note of triumph. Within the heart of   
the planetary vision, the redheaded Senshi could see an   
image of the tall girl form. It appeared as if she were   
talking to a number of other girls -- two blonds, one with   
black hair, one with short blue hair -- her actions animated   
and agitated both, even though the vision didn't appear to   
come with any sound.  
  
A flash of movement caught her eye; in the darkness,   
Nephrite's white-gloved hands moved to either side of his   
body in what seemed to be a gesture of dismissal, for the   
entire illusion of the dance of the planets and the song of   
the stars faded away after that, the illumination level in   
the chapel rising to what it was before the auburn-haired   
man had intoned the phrase that had started the ritual.  
  
With a faint purr of satisfaction, Nephrite turned to smile   
a bit at his visitor, the location of the girl who was   
Sailor Jupiter set and held in his mind. "I need to pay   
Lita and her friends a visit. You can either stay here and   
amuse yourself, or come along for the ride. You might get   
some of your questions answered if you tag along, but   
otherwise, I just don't have time to give you any   
explanations at all."  
  
The corner of Draco's mouth curled slightly at the   
less-than-acceptable impression of those words.   
Intellectually, she was still awed and intrigued by what   
she'd just seen, but her temper was quick to rise at the   
note of dismissal that seemed to lie within his tone.  
  
"I'll go with you, Nephrite." She paused before landing the   
below-the-belt shot. "After all, we saw what happened the   
last time you tried to help Jupiter." She flicked a hand   
pointedly toward her own shoulder, in about the same place   
he'd been stabbed. "You obviously need someone to watch   
your back, and there isn't a single living soul on the   
planet who's likely to be as good at that as I am." It   
wasn't really a boastful tone; it was the matter-of-fact   
self-confidence that she'd always had.  
  
Just like that, the smile he'd directed her way vanished,   
replaced by a look of smoldering anger. Without a word, he   
quickly crossed what little distance there was between them.   
His hand darted out, grasping the wrist of the hand that had   
indicated where he'd taken the ice sword through his   
shoulder, his grip not exactly a gentle one.  
  
"As you wish," he snarled, then mentally crossed that   
distance between *here* and *there* once again. For three   
heartbeats, nothing existed to Draco's senses, but the   
moment she was solidly returned to reality, the mysterious   
man had turned loose of his hold on her. Turning his back on   
her, long cape flaring out with a gleam of emerald and   
silver, he started walking through the grounds of the Shinto   
temple. Let her come as she chose; this would be as far as   
he'd take her at the moment.  
  
If he kept behaving like this, he was going to have to put   
his little mission aside. Arguments *did* have a certain   
effect on her, after all, and the manifestation of that was   
definitely hormonal in nature.  
  
She timed it well; the flare of his cape got it out of the   
way long enough for her to swat his backside. "Temper,   
temper, handsome." Glancing around, she frowned slightly;   
this place did seem oddly familiar somehow...  
  
Yes -- now she remembered. She'd sensed the movement of the   
Negaverse in this world again, and come looking for its   
source. Jadeite had been here, if she recalled correctly;   
she had avoided the amber-eyed blond general like the   
plague, but kept tabs nevertheless.  
  
Cherry and ginkgo trees were artistically arranged around   
the immaculate landscaping that was intended to promote the   
harmony of the place. Like many areas of worship, the   
Cherry Hill Temple was well cared for; it was a natural   
beauty that spoke to Nephrite even as he walked among it,   
mind focused on something else. Of course, the pat on the   
rear was both an annoying and exciting little distraction.   
Stray thoughts flickered through his mind, of the tumultuous   
reconciliations that had always seemed to be the sequel to   
one of his heated arguments with the redheaded mercenary   
that had been assigned to his command.  
  
As much as that sent a spark of anticipatory desire through   
him, he knew he needed to concentrate on this. Storming up   
along the immaculately swept walkway, Nephrite reached the   
double doors that lead into the temple and gave them a push.   
They opened soundlessly, giving him entry into the sacred   
confines of the building.  
  
There was a slight, wicked smile on her lips as she   
sauntered after him. He seemed to know where he was going;   
she'd let him lead in this little dance. Afterward, maybe,   
there'd be time for another sort of dance...  
  
Once again, he mentally cursed the distraction the Senshi   
following him represented. With the awakening of his true   
self, the Cosmos was a myriad of conflicting and confusing   
sensations. The sanctity and quiescent power of the place,   
the emotions of those within, the ever-present song of the   
stars -- all of it filled him now, colored his every   
perception, showed him just how lifeless he'd become as a   
soldier of the sunless Negaverse.  
  
For once, he truly understood how one could be dead yet go   
on living.  
  
Voices came to him: youthful, vibrant, feminine. Scanning   
over the area with his jade-green gaze, Nephrite found he   
couldn't immediately see the source of the sounds.   
Discovering another set of double sliding doors before him,   
he grabbed the wooden frame of one of them and slid it aside   
as well.  
  
"You mean to tell me that Nathan took the blow for you?" a   
girl with long, sunny blond hair, the part of which would   
have been framing her sweetly pretty face tied back with a   
bow of red ribbon. She was intently focused upon an   
agitated-appearing, but essentially unharmed, Lita, as were   
the other three teenagers in the temple sanctum. Amy and   
Serena were the only two he immediately recognized; the   
third female was a sophisticated-appearing beauty with long   
black hair and was wearing the white and red outfit of a   
temple priestess.  
  
"Yes, I did," he responded, answering the blond stranger's   
question while striding confidently forward into the   
sanctuary. The crackle of the sacred flame was suddenly   
very evident in the silence that descended upon his   
entrance.  
  
Behind him, Draco swept into the room as well, making for an   
imposing sight as she took up a watchful spot behind the   
auburn-haired man. She couldn't help but mentally smirk at   
the expressions on the teenagers' faces.  
  
The quintet of girls rose as one, shifting positions to   
loosely arrange themselves in a semi-circle, facing the   
black-clad man and his imposing, redheaded companion. That   
they were utterly astonished at the appearance of the former   
general and the strangely-dressed woman was agonizingly   
obvious by the expressions on their youthful visages and the   
tone of their feminine voices.  
  
"Nephrite!"  
  
"What's he doing here?"  
  
Who's that with him?"  
  
The Gemlord kept his own expression neutral as the girls all   
spoke at once. However, one particular question caught his   
attention, fixed his focus there.  
  
Lita stepped forward, surprise and concern evident in her   
forest-green eyes. "Are you all right?"  
  
Nephrite stooped to giving the athletic teenager a   
reassuring smile. "Yes, Lita, I'm all right now."  
  
A corner of Sailor Draco's mouth twitched downward as she   
caught the look of relief that crossed the ponytailed   
brunette's pretty face.  
  
"I'm glad--" Lita began to speak, only to have the strange   
Scout's gruff voice interrupt, cutting her off from saying   
anything more.  
  
"So how did you manage to get away from Kunzite?"   
Antique-gold eyes narrowed slightly, keeping their gaze on   
the girl.  
  
"He turned tail and ran once we showed up to help," the   
blond with the loose, sunshine-hued hair responded.  
  
It took all of Draco's self-control to *not* roll her eyes   
at the child's claim. The Dragon Senshi knew Kunzite far   
better than she'd ever really wanted, and she certainly knew   
him better than these children could ever know the   
silver-haired general. *However,* she added, turning her   
gaze to the back of the auburn-haired man standing before   
her, *even I may not know any of them all that well after   
all.* "I seriously doubt that."  
  
"It's true enough," insisted the other blond, the one with   
the twin ponytails topped by round buns. "As soon as we   
showed up, he stepped back and then just teleported away."  
  
"Something must be up," Nephrite commented, frowning in   
thought. "That doesn't sound like Kunzite's style at all."  
  
"So what do you think is going on?" challenged the   
black-haired girl, the one that was apparently a priestess   
here at the Cherry Hill Temple.  
  
"Don't you think we'd better ask him what he's doing here   
first?" argued the blond again, the one with the red bow in   
her hair. "For all we know, he could be involved in all   
this--"  
  
"Then why would he try to stop Zoisite and Kunzite not once   
but *twice*?" Lita shot back.  
  
"Children," Draco said in a tone of profound boredom,   
raising her voice enough to be heard over the others, "have   
you ever heard the phrase 'don't look a gift horse in the   
mouth'? We're here to help you. The mere fact that we   
could find you and we haven't raised a hand *against* you at   
this point ought to be a good indicator that we're on your   
side." She studied the rings on her left hand, idly running   
the tip of her tongue over her teeth. "Of course, if you   
don't want our help, we'll be on our way. If you decide to   
settle down and work with us..."  
  
"Then what?" the priestess asked, violet eyes continuing to   
hold a light of challenge deep within them.  
  
The rings and the fine chains joining them to the bracelets   
shimmered and flared; the wicked arcs of the Dragon Claws   
flashed in the light of the sacred fire.  
  
"Then the other side has a lot more to worry about than a   
couple of teenaged girls." Draco's smile had the same   
razor-edged crescent quality as the curve of her blades.  
  
A number of the teenagers visibly bristled at the stranger's   
words, looking downright offended. However, before any of   
them could say something, the girl with the short, blue-hued   
hair sat back down and opened up a slim, compact notebook   
computer, speaking as she did so. "Assuming, for argument's   
sake, that we accept your offer of help, what assistance,   
exactly, could you give us?"  
  
"He knows something about what's going on, Amy," Lita   
responded, turning to face the other teen. "He knows who it   
is that's ordering Kunzite around."  
  
"Is that true?" the girl Nephrite knew as Serena queried,   
her blue eyes staring at the black-uniformed man.  
  
"Yes it is," the Gemlord started to reply. "At least, I   
believe I know to whom it is that Kunzite seems to be   
answering. Tell you what, girls. How about a deal? I'll   
tell you what I know in exchange for you telling me what you   
know is going on. Maybe between us, we can figure it out."  
  
Though the five of them continued to look him and Draco over   
suspiciously -- some of them more so than others -- the   
resulting consensus after a short discussion was agreement   
to his proposal. Over the course of the next few moments,   
the sacred fire of the temple continuing to cast flickering   
illumination on the scene and its snapping and popping   
seemingly underscoring the fervent conversation, the Gemlord   
and the Senshi told their tales to one another. Still   
standing behind Nephrite, the fiery-haired Draco kept   
silent, listening, her arms crossed over her chest and her   
body in a relaxed stance.  
  
She didn't like the story she was hearing. Apparently the   
trouble seemed to stem from the ruler of Nephrite's people,   
a certain Lord Obsidian -- Draco nodded slightly, realizing   
that this confirmed what she'd overheard as she had   
eavesdropped in on the tense conversation between Lita and   
Nathan. For whatever reason, Obsidian was attacking the   
girls because he needed something -- certain gemstones that   
were locked away within the castles that had belonged to the   
princesses the children had been back during the reign of   
Queen Serenity. What made the news bad was that Obsidian   
was sabotaging the young Senshi, having his flunkies Kunzite   
and Zoisite mess with the magical foci of their planetary   
powers. What made the news even worse was that Obsidian was   
also the Guardian of Space.  
  
That alone sent a shiver of dread down the golden-caped   
warrioress's spine. The empire from which she'd originally   
come -- an ancient culture now dead and gone, scattered to   
history like ashes in the wind -- had known about the Vortex   
Mirror and the one who watched over it. Though her people's   
legends had hinted at Lord Obsidian having godlike powers,   
there were only a couple of things that the Dragon Senshi   
knew for sure about the shadowy Guardian. The first was   
that he was supposedly the physical incarnation of Space   
itself, that no place that existed was closed off to his   
ability to access it. The second thing was that he was a   
champion of Order, his actions always being directed toward   
the preservation of the universe against the forces that   
would tear it apart.  
  
That he seemed to be thrashing the young planetary warriors   
of his home system disturbed the hell out of her. "It   
doesn't make any sense," she insisted, her antique-gold gaze   
shifting from the quintet of teenagers to stare again at   
Nephrite.  
  
"Regardless of how it looks, there has to be a *reason*,"   
the black-caped Gemlord responded. Running the fingers of a   
hand through his thick, wavy hair, he racked his brains in   
an attempt to discover what the Guardian of Space could be   
attempting through these actions. "Are there any special   
properties to these jewels?"  
  
The *tick-tick-tick* of fingers dancing over a computer   
keyboard filled the pause. "According to my database," Amy   
answered, "those stones are supposed to hold strong focusing   
abilities for their corresponding classical Element."  
  
"That's why they were locked away," Raye added, violet eyes   
staring off into the shifting flames of the fire as a stray   
memory came to her, one from a very long time ago. "Legend   
had it that they were what remained of the primal forces   
that had created all matter, those forces becoming frozen   
into stones as their energies cooled."  
  
Mina nodded, blue eyes widening slightly as something of a   
remembrance hovered at the very fringes of her recall.   
"That's right. Anyone who controlled all four at the same   
time would supposedly have enormous power over physical   
matter, so the jewels were separated, kept safe from anyone   
wishing to misuse them."  
  
"So those affiliations explain why three of the four stones   
were located in those particular castles. What about the   
yellow one?" Lita inquired, leaning back against the wall,   
her arms crossed over her chest. During the course of their   
exchange of information, a part of the ponytailed brunette   
recalled seeing an emerald in a hollow in the Sacred Oak   
that grew within a special chamber that she *knew* awaited   
them all there in the heart of Io Castle, floating high   
above the turbulent surface of the planet Jupiter. That had   
been long ago, when she had been someone else... "The ruby   
in the Sacred Flame of Mars, the sapphire in the Blessed   
Fountain of Mercury, the emerald in the Sacred Oak of   
Jupiter..."  
  
"That would lead one to expect that the final gem would be   
found in the castle of the princess affiliated with the   
Element of Air," Draco stated. But before she could add to   
that, having thought of something further, the intellectual   
girl with the short hair spoke up.  
  
"Unless that pattern's too obvious and wouldn't keep the   
gems safe from anyone determined to collect them and use   
them." Amy frowned slightly, tapping out a few more keys on   
her compact, portable computer.  
  
The fiery redhead growled softly under her breath. "I was   
just about to say that myself."  
  
"Well, unless we have something more to go on, we're going   
to have to take a wild guess whether we're dealing with a   
bluff or a double-bluff," the auburn-haired man stated,   
sweeping his jade-green gaze over the six females there.  
  
Draco shrugged, settling her hands on her hips. "In the   
absence of further evidence, we might as well assume that   
the pattern's going to hold true as-is. Unless, Nephrite,   
you ever heard Obsidian talk about these gems before?"  
  
A shake of his head in the negative emphasized his answer.   
"Never. I didn't even realize that these stones existed in   
the first place."  
  
The black-bodysuited Senshi's mouth twisted wryly. "Well,   
then, even if *we're* wrong, it'll still accomplish the   
expected result if *he* happens to be wrong as well. We'll   
still catch him red-handed, and hopefully with his pants   
down. Figuratively speaking, of course." Her gaze settled   
on Mina. "What this particular pattern suggests, correctly   
or not, is that the fourth stone's in the royal residence of   
Venus. Before we do anything in that direction, though..."  
  
She looked at Raye, then Amy. "I suspect we ought to work   
on fixing what's already broken."  
  
"I have an even better idea," Nephrite stated. "Since it's   
actually the stones Obsidian wants, not necessarily the   
girls themselves, how about you and I get the other two   
stones first, then restore the powers of Mars and Mercury?   
If nothing else, it'll take the heat off the Senshi."   
Stepping forward, he stared at first Mina, then Lita,   
jade-green eyes lingering on the tall brunette for a moment.   
"What do you say? Will you help Sailor Draco and I get the   
stones?"  
  
"What exactly are you suggesting, Nephrite?" the ponytailed   
teen asked, her forest-green gaze meeting that of the   
dark-clad man's.  
  
"I'm suggesting that you and Mina both trust Sailor Draco   
and I enough to take you to your respective castles and let   
us into those protected chambers."  
  
"If we gets those gems first," the redheaded Senshi added,   
sure she knew exactly what the gorgeous Gemlord had in mind,   
"that'll turn Obsidian's focus away from you." Of course,   
she didn't like the idea of that focus falling on Nephrite,   
not one bit. But she could certainly handle the attention   
the Guardian might toss their way.  
  
"Precisely," the low-voiced man confirmed. "So what say   
you?" His gaze swept over the four there, almost pleading   
them to accept. He knew they were actually very capable as   
Senshi, but this was *Obsidian* they were discussing, and   
the Elementals may even now be beginning to rediscover their   
true natures.  
  
One by one, the teenaged girls turned their gazes to one   
another, uncertainty and wariness on their faces. "What do   
you think?" Mina asked.  
  
"I say we go for it," Lita emphatically replied. "He's   
helped me out already twice, risking almost everything. I   
trust him."  
  
Nephrite smiled at that, feeling a deep sense of relief that   
the athletic brunette truly trusted him. He felt vindicated   
now, and eager to show them all that he truly had changed.  
  
The smile on Draco's face cooled just a bit as she caught   
the very pleased expression on the auburn-haired man's   
visage.  
  
"Well..." Serena began, looking from one girl to the other.   
"I'll admit, he's actually done nothing but helpful things   
since his return--"  
  
"Are you *sure* you can restore what was taken from us?"   
Raye demanded, cutting the twin-ponytailed girl's words   
short.  
  
"It's more than likely just a matter of restoring the   
balance of the sacred objects that were messed with," Draco   
replied, casually inspecting the way one of her skeletal   
gauntlets reflected the dancing firelight. "Either way, you   
can count on us for two things: we *won't* mess with the   
tree and the whatever-the-hell is there in your castle,   
Mina, and we'll certainly do our best to fix the fire and   
the fountain."  
  
Amy closed the cover of her laptop, then stood up, keeping   
it in the grasp of a slender hand. "We're no worse off than   
before. After all, at least we have some idea who it is   
we're facing. And if Sailor Draco and Nephrite here can   
restore our Scout powers, then we're certainly better off   
than just standing around and waiting for Obsidian to try   
again."  
  
"All right then," the sunshine-blond teenager finally said,   
turning her azure gaze to the former Negaverse general and   
the newly-discovered Scout, "I'll agree to let you into the   
sacred chamber of Magellan Castle."  
  
"You know I'll let you into Io Castle," Lita swiftly   
replied, stepping toward the black-clad man.  
  
"Not so fast," the redheaded Senshi softly growled, striding   
forward and planting herself between Nephrite and Lita. "We   
better our chances by splitting up. This Obsidian just had   
his prize taken away from him. I'm betting on him making   
another attempt at you, Lita. Therefore, you and Raye can   
come with me. I'll handle anything that pops up."  
  
"Draco..." Nephrite started to protest, reaching up and   
resting a hand on one of the golden pauldrons that armored   
her shoulders.  
  
"It's not worth a discussion, Nephrite," the   
black-bodysuited woman insisted. "You don't want your Lord   
Obsidian to know your whereabouts, correct?"  
  
"Yes, but--"  
  
"No buts," Draco said. "Even if Zoisite tells him about you,   
you're better off not putting yourself into the line of   
fire. Take Mina and Amy with you. If he tries to get Lita   
again, I'll deal with it." She wickedly grinned, winking an   
antique-gold eye at her beloved. "You know I can deal with   
just about anything, handsome."  
  
He didn't like it; the scowl on his face betrayed his   
dissatisfaction. Even so, he knew she was more than likely   
right. They stood a better chance trying to get both stones   
at once as well as restoring both foci simultaneously.  
  
"What about me?" Serena piped up, looking a bit put out.  
  
"Yeah, what about you?" Raye responded, walking over to the   
blond with the twin buns. Before anyone could protest in   
anger at her rather sharp words, the raven-haired priestess   
continued, "We need someone here to hold the fort, Serena,   
and to be back-up in case they do try to do something. If   
you're here, then they won't know that we can get you to   
help out." Turning to face the strange Scout and the former   
general, the fiery girl's violet eyes narrowed slightly.   
"Isn't that right, Nephrite, Sailor Draco?"  
  
"Is *what* right?" the redheaded Senshi asked, voice having   
an edge of annoyance to it.  
  
"You and Nephrite will come fetch her if something happens   
and she's needed," Raye clarified.  
  
"Yes, of course," Draco replied, her tone switching to   
boredom as she continued to admire the cool, metallic gleam   
of the Dragon Claws. Anything to get this show on the road.   
These girls sure knew how to fritter away time.  
  
"See?" the Shinto priestess said. "You're our   
ace-in-the-hole, Serena."  
  
"All right. You can count on me," the blond teen replied,   
nodding in agreement, her pretty face set in an expression   
of serious determination.  
  
Silent and watchful, a tall, dark form stood in the shadows   
near the partially open door. Beyond, the flickering of   
firelight illuminated the scene that had been expected, of   
the teenaged girls gathered together. From this vantage   
point, however, only the figures of the young Terrans could   
be seen. The voices, however, confirmed the presence of two   
others.  
  
"Then it's settled," the dark-uniformed Gemlord stated,   
gesturing with a white-gloved hand toward the group. "I'll   
take Draco and the first group--"  
  
"No need for that, handsome," the gold-caped Senshi quickly   
responded. "I can take them under my own power."  
  
Nephrite frowned, turning his jade-green gaze to the   
redheaded woman. "Something else you neglected to tell me?"  
  
"You never asked. Besides, you've always just grabbed and   
teleported in the past." Draco gave him a wicked little   
grin, one that was intended to show him both that she wasn't   
about to be sorry for anything he assumed in the past and to   
drop him the hint that this wasn't worth getting upset over   
-- especially with what she had in mind as consolation.  
  
Growling softly under his breath, the Gemlord suppressed the   
urge to say something scathing. Instead, he held a hand out   
to Mina and Amy. "Come on. Take my hands and let's get   
going."  
  
"Raye, Lita, if you would?" Draco said, golden eyes focused   
on the two for which she'd be responsible.  
  
Stepping back away from the rest of them, Serena watched,   
blue eyes wide, as first Nephrite, Mina and Amy disappeared   
within a shimmer of what looked to be silvery-green   
starlight, and then her other two friends and the strange   
Scout faded away in what looked like something that could   
only be described as spatial origami.  
  
"Good luck, everyone," she murmured to herself, folding her   
arms over her chest. Hopefully, they'd all be back soon,   
with nothing untoward happening.  
  
She never realized that something untoward was about to   
happen to her until it was far too late.  
  
Serena took a step, turning her back on the area from where   
the others had apparently teleported. Movement caught her   
eye; looking up, suddenly startled, she had no time at all   
to react to the dark figure that was abruptly *there* like   
some vengeful spirit. A hand closed around her throat, not   
hard enough to cut off her air but certainly firm enough to   
give her the impression that whomever it was that had her   
was strong enough to easily overpower her. Blue eyes wide   
in terror, she looked up into the eerily placid face of a   
man.  
  
He was ungodly handsome, just as he seemed to be ungodly   
strong. Eyes as black as night, as cold and hard as   
diamonds, stared back at her from a face as gorgeous as an   
angel's, a visage framed by a mane of hair as dark as his   
eyes. Under the silken strands of his bangs, Serena could   
see a silver circlet adorned with a single cabochon gem of   
ebony hue. For a moment, she thought she was seeing the   
Lord Obsidian everyone had been talking about, but for some   
reason, her mind remained fixed on the metal of the   
stranger's circlet. Obsidian supposedly had a golden one.   
This one was silver, the shining white metal accenting the   
darkness of the man's hair and clothing.  
  
Shivering slightly, her mouth suddenly dry, she continued to   
stare up at the elegant man that towered over her, her hands   
instinctively reaching up to try to pry his unyielding hand   
from around her throat. However, that was availing her to   
no effect at all; his cool-skinned hand remained as   
immovable as stone.  
  
"The redheaded woman," the dark stranger demanded, his high   
baritone smooth, the tone more than enough to give his words   
the edge of command despite their being softly spoken, "who   
is she?"  
  
The blond girl swallowed hard, her slender fingers remaining   
curled around the man's wrist just beyond where his   
silvery-gray sleeve cuff encircled him, the fabric brushing   
against her hands. That same silver-gray relieved the utter   
blackness of the man's clothing around his neck, down the   
length of the front of his tunic-like shirt in a wide band   
and along his broad shoulders in equally wide stripes. The   
rest of his outfit, from the best she could see in the   
flickering illumination of the firelight, was a shadow of   
sable: mid-calf-high boots into which were tucked slightly   
bloused trousers, pants that were loose enough for movement   
but not loose enough to be a hindrance and a belt around his   
waist that sported a silver buckle. "S--s--sailor   
D--d--draco," Serena finally stuttered out.  
  
The stranger merely nodded, as if that was the answer he   
expected. "Where did they go?"  
  
Large blue eyes continued to stare up at him in fright. The   
ponytailed girl hesitated, a hand leaving his wrist and   
drifting downward. Determined to remind the young Terran   
who was exactly in charge, the black-haired man gave her the   
slightest of shakes, tightening his grip just enough to let   
her realize that he could probably snap her neck with little   
effort.  
  
He'd probably do it too, before she had any chance at   
reaching her brooch, let alone call upon her lunar powers.   
Those glittering, hard-as-diamond eyes continued to bore   
into her, seemingly reaching to the very core of her.   
Shuddering in fright, the teenager blurted out, "The   
castles."  
  
"What castles? You'll need to do better than that."  
  
Feeling the fingers of the stranger tighten a bit more,   
Serena gasped. "Let go! You're hurting me!"  
  
"Answer my questions," the ebony- and gray-clad man quietly   
said. "What castles? And I don't like having to repeat   
myself."  
  
"Io... and Magellan..." the teen choked out.  
  
"What are they doing there?"  
  
Serena hesitated again, shivers going down her spine. If he   
was another one of Obsidian's lackies...  
  
The shake the dark-haired man gave her was a stronger one.   
He wasn't going to tolerate her holding back. If she only   
had some reassurance that she could be faster than him,   
she'd grab her brooch and try to transform. It was an   
almost sure bet that the stranger could seriously harm her   
before she could even get the magic words out of her mouth.  
  
A downturn of the handsome man's expressive lips. She was   
only making him angry. Closing her eyes, Serena whimpered,   
"The stones... They're getting the stones..."  
  
"One at a time, or at the same time? And be quicker with   
your answers. I'm not overly fond of waiting either."  
  
The blond swallowed hard again. There wasn't anything she   
could do, other than answer him. "Same time."  
  
"Ah. Two teams then. Where did Draco go?"  
  
"I--io C--castle."  
  
The dark stranger loosened his grip just slightly, but not   
enough to give Serena any hope of being able to break free.   
He seemed momentarily lost in thought, the black eyes   
seemingly looking *through* her for a fleeting second.   
"Hmm..."  
  
A sound of rushing air, a bright streak of red and green.   
The helpless teen felt a sudden rush of hope as her azure   
gaze caught sight of a flying rose, the stem striking hard   
against the stranger's hand that was holding her in its   
grasp. Amazingly, the verdant missile was deflected by what   
seemed to be the stranger's own skin. With a solid sounding   
*thuk* the rose embedded itself into the floor of the Shinto   
temple, red petals bright in the illumination of the   
firelight.  
  
"Only cowards pick on little girls," came a voice,   
authoritative and masculine.  
  
Serena's eyes lit up with happiness. *Tuxedo Mask!* Here   
was true hope at last. He'd certainly save her, like he'd   
done a number of times before.  
  
"How about picking on someone your own size?" the voice   
continued.  
  
The dark-haired stranger's jaw tightened. That botanical   
missile hadn't scratched his skin, but it had still been a   
rather stinging annoyance. Well, then, this was yet another   
development to handle. Handle it he would.  
  
As swift as any serpent striking, the tall man went into   
action. A shift of his grasp just so, perfectly applied   
pressure to just the right spot, and the blond Terran was   
out like a light after the briefest of struggles. Letting   
her slim body slump to the wooden floor, he turned on a   
booted heel, then leapt for the source of the masculine   
voice.  
  
At the door to the sanctuary stood a noble figure, athletic   
form clad in a perfectly-tailored black tuxedo, a white mask   
around eyes as blue as the ocean and a sable top hat perched   
gallantly atop a raven-haired head. A white dress shirt   
under an equally snowy waistcoat, along with white gloves   
were the only things relieving the blackness of the   
newcomer's outfit, save for the bright red lining of the   
cape that swung jauntily from his shoulders. Seeing the   
other man coming his way fast, Tuxedo Mask stepped aside,   
pulling his walking stick out from under his black cape.  
  
*Time to take out the would-be hero in the asinine formal   
wear,* the taller stranger thought to himself, making a grab   
for the dark cloth of his new opponent's flaring cape.  
  
Tuxedo Mask retreated swiftly, twirling his sable,   
silver-tipped walking stick before him, keeping it between   
himself and the other like a shield. This one moved fast,   
making him just a bit more wary.  
  
Just how fast was almost instantly demonstrated. Black eyes   
narrowing, the circleted stranger made a grab for the   
twirling cane. The black stick abruptly stopped, a slender   
baton between the two of them.  
  
As the taller man tried to pull it from his white-gloved   
grasp, Tuxedo Mask grit his teeth and twisted the cane just   
so. A mental command and the sable rod abruptly lengthened,   
catching the other man square in the gut.  
  
Lightning reflexes went into play. The stranger grabbed the   
telescoping cane with both hands, setting his feet apart to   
widen his stance. Long, long years of training took over as   
he set the muscles in his abdomen to brace against the force   
of the walking stick even as he relaxed the rest of himself   
to work with the momentum, to be the reed that bows to the   
wind and not the ridged tree that breaks. The moment he   
stopped sliding across the temple's wooden floor, he   
tightened his grip on the now pole-like weapon and proceeded   
to do his best to divest his foe of it. An instant of   
concentration and he could see the pulsing, flowing glow of   
energy around the tuxedo-clad man, a shifting, faint, wispy   
fire of blue-green.  
  
Tuxedo Mask set his jaw, blue eyes narrowing in   
determination. The other man remained standing, holding   
onto the telescoping cane, two developments that he hadn't   
quite counted on. Worried about the continued stillness in   
the sanctuary of the temple, he braced himself for any   
attempt to wrestle for the silver-tipped weapon and flicked   
his ocean-blue gaze to the still, blond form that remained   
lying there on the other side of the room. *Serena...*  
  
*Now!* The stranger saw the aura dim, a temporary lull in   
the other man's power. Muscles moved in perfect harmony,   
channeling a strength beyond any ordinary human. The cane   
was ripped free of the short-haired man's white-gloved   
grasp, the size diminishing as swiftly as it had gained it   
once it was free of its owner's hands. In the same fluid   
move that had torn weapon from foe, the black-haired   
stranger tossed the now normal-sized walking stick aside.   
It clattered to the wooden floor and rolled away even   
further as the two males sized one another up for the next   
exchange.  
  
Each of them wary, they kept their gazes locked on one   
another, black and blue, each equally determined. Wanting   
to reassure himself that his beloved Serena was all right,   
Tuxedo Mask began inching his way slowly toward her,   
circling in order to keep an eye on his opponent. The   
dark-clad stranger circled as well, elegant hands before him   
in an almost relaxed yet guarded pose. Boots scuffled   
lightly across the wooden surface of the flooring, soft   
sounds in the tense stillness.  
  
Some unspoken signal passed between them, a mutual attempt   
of two warriors each looking to best the other. Black and   
black, silver-gray and white, the pair of men dashed   
forward, meeting in the center of that invisible circle.   
Tuxedo Mask made a grab for the other's clothing; the   
stranger quickly turned and stepped, presenting his side --   
and therefore a smaller surface area -- to his foe even as   
he dodged the attempt. Reaching out himself and connecting   
with sable and scarlet cloth, the stranger twisted a fold of   
his foe's cape around his hand. Planting himself, he gave   
the cloth a sharp tug.  
  
Pivoting with the momentum brought about by the yank on his   
outfit, the tuxedo-clad man lowered a shoulder and charged   
forward. The impact between the two was solid, forcing the   
stranger to step back. Still holding his fistful of cape,   
his body weight set again, the stranger made a grab for the   
same pressure point he'd used to quiet the Terran girl. A   
flash of movement catching his ocean-blue gaze, Tuxedo Mask   
jerked backwards, away from the attempt. Elegant fingers   
caught on white cloth; top hat and mask fell silently to the   
sanctuary floor to lie like forgotten toys.  
  
A momentary sense of recognition flashed over the   
circlet-adorned stranger. *I've seen this one before...*   
However, no name came to him, and the still-determined glare   
the young man gave him left the stranger little time to   
wonder who among all those he'd met in the past this   
dark-haired warrior could be.  
The unmasked man elegantly spun, again using the hold on his   
cape as a pivot point. As he swung back around to face his   
opponent, he followed through with a toss, a single,   
long-stemmed red rose materializing in his white-gloved   
hand.  
  
For just an instant, a memory filled the stranger's mind, of   
a flash of crystal flying through the air of a battlefield,   
of excruciating pain before profound darkness. *Not again!*   
The stranger jerked his head to the side. Even feeling the   
thrill of fear making a ripple in his otherwise calm   
concentration, he forced himself to obey his orders. Only   
Draco was to be eliminated; anyone else he was to do as   
little damage as possible.  
  
The flowery missile embedded itself in the wall of the   
sanctum, a few strands of glossy, jet-black hair caught in   
the thorns, even as the stranger jerked his foe harder   
toward him. His other hand connected, just as he had hoped   
it would, and he used the spike of energy his fear had given   
him to reinforce the grip on the pressure point.  
  
It was over swiftly. Taking a breath to regain his calm   
center, the raven-haired stranger let go of his downed foe,   
letting the young man's body drop to the floor. Both   
Terrans would recover in a short amount of time, but he was   
planning to be long gone by then.  
  
Io Castle, the child had said. Draco was there, attempting   
to take away one of the stones needed by Lord Obsidian.   
Something of a cold smile settled on the man's angelic face,   
even as his form swiftly disappeared from the crown of his   
dark-maned head downwards.  
  
  



	10. Black Diamond

  
BLACK DIAMOND   
  
  
Silver-trimmed lavender cape flaring out around him, a less   
than pleased expression on his face, Kunzite emerged from   
the shimmering, reflective surface of the Vortex Mirror. So   
close, and yet he had been called away on the verge of   
victory. It was a galling sensation, the Fire Warrior had   
to admit.  
  
As he stepped down the three steps of the dais to the   
Zodiac-carpeted floor, he immediately saw Zoisite looking   
whole once more, her slender form pressed up against her   
redheaded sibling's body, Garnet holding her in a comforting   
and protective embrace. That brought a sense of relief to   
the pale-haired Elemental; regardless of how angry he   
remained at Zoisite and how outwardly cold he was toward   
her, he still cared about her deep within.  
  
The Water Warrior's swift return to health was adequately   
explained by the presence of twin forms speaking with the   
dark-haired Guardian of Space. An amethyst-maned woman and   
blond man, each looking as alike as a male and female could,   
were listening to whatever it was Lord Obsidian had to say.   
*Ametrine, Healer and Intelligence Officer. He must have   
asked them to restore Zoisite...*  
  
Clearing his throat, Kunzite sought to capture his lord's   
attention even as he strode across the circular carpet.   
"You summoned me, my lord?"  
  
Obsidian turned, fixing his dark-brown gaze on the Gemlord   
approaching him. "Indeed. What happened to Commander Zoisite   
has made me decide to change my tactics slightly."  
  
"I see," the pale-lavender haired man replied.  
  
Even as Kunzite spoke, a shimmer of orange-amber light cast   
its momentary illumination over the Hall of the Mirror, a   
figure clad in golds and yellows taking shape as the   
teleportational field faded away. Violet and citrine eyes   
instantly turned their gazes to that familiar hue; twin   
hearts suddenly leaped into dual throats as Ametrine caught   
sight of the Air Warrior.  
  
"Commander Jadeite reporting as asked, sir," the   
short-haired blond stated, crossing his arms over his chest,   
amber eyes gazing steadily at the Guardian of Space.  
  
There he was, looking so alive... and so cold. The dual   
Gemlord felt a sinking feeling of disappointment at the Air   
Warrior's lack of attention to all save the lord that ruled   
over their race, but they managed to keep their faces   
neutral. That he was here, and dressed in Lithosian   
clothes, confirmed what Lord Obsidian had been telling them:   
the Elementals save Nephrite were free of the Negaverse and   
here to prove themselves again, given a second chance   
through the Guardian's generosity.  
  
"Ah, good. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I have   
something to do before I speak to you all."  
  
The handful of Gemlords nodded, all eyes focused on Obsidian   
as he turned and began walking over toward the large   
black-green glass prison on the other side of the Mirror   
from where his black stone throne sat in eternal vigil over   
the sacred chamber. Reaching the crystal of his making, he   
caressed it with the fingertips of his right hand, once   
again dropping into a trance where he could feel the pulsing   
energy trapped within. Closing his eyes, he opened himself   
up to the connection, reaching in and pulling to him the   
sunshine-yellow power from the helpless Senshi.  
  
Garnet felt his stomach lurch. For the third time, he   
watched as someone he thought he knew seemingly callously   
stooped to a low he thought he'd never see, let alone   
thrice.  
  
Against him, Zoisite shivered and huddled closer, pressing   
her face against the taller Gemlord's T-shirt-clad torso.   
*The emotions... So *wrong*... He's *enjoying* it,   
practically getting off on it.* Echoes of the hunger for   
energy of the Negaforce danced in her memory, making her   
feel spiritually chilled.  
  
Side by side, Ametrine watched in wide-eyed horror. That   
part of the dual Lithosian that was the Healer wanted to run   
up and pull Obsidian away, to do *something* to break him   
out of that foul-sensed rapport, but they knew better than   
to interrupt him just then. No telling what he would do had   
they tried. Mentally shuddering, Lord and Lady Ametrine   
turned to one another, hugging themselves as they continued   
to stare in morbid fascination.  
  
Jadeite raised an eyebrow, then glanced over at the tall   
figure standing next to him, looking for confirmation.   
Noticing the Eastern Commander had turned his attention to   
himself, Kunzite spared his third-in-command a look out of   
the corner of his eyes. It was all the blond Gemlord needed   
to realize that he was right. Seeing this brought back far   
too many memories of the Negaverse, of the need to steal and   
gather energy and the pleasure derived from doing so.  
  
For good or ill, the Guardian of Space was being the psychic   
equivalent of a vampire.  
  
*Energy. Sunshine-bright power full of warmth and   
vitality.* It filled him with its wonderful feel, giving   
him that rush he found so very nice. He took what he could,   
letting it shimmer there within him -- and then, suddenly,   
he could siphon off no more. Irritation shattered the   
blissful moment; reaching through the link, Obsidian willed   
-- nay, demanded -- the moment to continue.  
  
Nothing. He'd taken all Sailor Andromeda had to offer.  
  
Mentally growling, he opened his dark-brown eyes, fighting   
back his sudden rage. Feeling the golden energy still   
glowing within him, he felt a momentary sense of   
disorientation. *Why did I do this?* he asked himself, his   
confusion stifling the anger that had been there only   
seconds before. Turning to his left, his dark gaze fell on   
the low table that had become the focus of his thoughts of   
late. Seeing the pathetic remains of his once-proud people,   
he once again was reminded that a certain violet-blue one   
could have been returned to that open grave only moments   
ago. His jaw tightening, he walked over to the morbid   
display, looking for one stone in particular.  
  
Someone had thoroughly trounced *his* Western Commander.   
Someone was going to pay for daring to do so. That's why he   
had taken the last of the Senshi's energy, to bring another   
of his people back, one whom he knew would be able to   
eliminate any threat this unknown factor may cause in the   
future.  
  
His mind focused on avenging the stab to his pride at the   
wounding of his follower, Obsidian grimly smiled when his   
gaze settled upon the soulstone he had been searching for,   
lying up against an equally battered, pale dead-gray jewel.   
Reaching down, he picked the soot-gray gem, feeling the   
edges of the stone's smooth facets against his skin.   
Beginning to channel the stolen energy into that hand, he   
stepped back from the table, walking off a couple of paces.  
  
The assembled Gemlords continued to stare at him, their   
expressions ones of various shades of astonishment,   
discomfort and dissociation. Though it was obvious what he   
was doing -- they could all see the small gem being   
carefully cradled in the grasp of a hand -- neither Garnet   
nor Ametrine thought the end result worth the method used.   
Jadeite again glanced to his commander. Noticing Kunzite   
just standing there, apparently unconcerned, the Air Warrior   
wondered just how often the other Elemental had seen this   
happen before.  
  
Golden light began to shine around the Guardian of Space's   
hand, casting yellow beams over the Hall of the Mirror and   
its contents. Once again, the stirrings of large amounts of   
energy started to eddy within the circular chamber, causing   
a physical breeze to ruffle clothing and hair alike.   
Concentrating on filling the soulstone with the power   
thrumming through him, Obsidian stood within the eye of the   
developing psychic storm, holding the pattern in his mind,   
waiting for that one defining moment when the life within   
caught fire and burned into existence once more. The golden   
radiance abruptly winked out, the illumination levels   
falling back to normal within the Hall.  
  
Feeling that threshold crossed, the dark lord opened his   
eyes. Yes, the grayness was gone, the stone revealed to be   
the darkest of blacks. A deep light, more sensed than   
actually seen, glimmered within the heart of the now-shiny,   
facted stone. Lowering himself to a knee, he set the   
awakening gem down onto the plush, Zodiac-adorned carpet,   
rose and stepped back, dark-brown eyes continuing to watch.  
  
The electrifying sensation of large amounts of energy   
continued to assail Gemlord senses, hair and clothing   
rippling with the force of the psychic wind, as that   
almost-light grew brighter with each heart-like pulse. All   
of them stood watch in utter fascination as another of them   
was brought back from the cold stillness of death.  
  
*Helplessness, then rage. A body crowned by silver hair and   
clothed in white and silver slowly falling to a crumpled   
heap on the ground, only to fade to nothing. A white-gloved   
hand emerging from a gray sleeve reaching down, picking up a   
lifeless, gray stone and flinging it away in utter contempt.   
Utter fury at seeing the finality of the insult, then a   
bright flash of something...*  
  
*Then darkness... A profound nothingness...*  
  
The not-light swelled to a crescendo then stopped; a figure   
lay there on the floor of the Hall. Slim, athletic, a   
wealth of hair as black as night spilling across the colors   
of the carpet underneath, the Gemlord lying there was as   
unearthly beautiful as nearly all of the Lithosian race.   
Comfortable, slightly bloused sable pants covered his lower   
body and were tucked into mid-calf-high black boots. His   
upper body was clad in a tunic, the hem lower in front and   
back and higher along his sides, of the same dark shade save   
for the collar buttoned at his throat, the cuffs of his   
sleeves, wide stripes along his broad shoulders and a wide   
stripe that ran from the collar along the front to the point   
of the hem that rested against his thighs. Those were a   
silvery slate-gray that only added to the overall effect.   
Around his head, gleaming underneath the raven-hued strands   
of his hair, a silver circlet adorned with a single,   
jet-black cabochon stone could be seen.  
  
They all knew him, of course. With only a set number of   
Gemlords and millions of years to get to know their fellow   
Lithosians, all of them knew one another on sight and by   
psychic presence. Shivering in sudden dread, Zoisite clung   
to Garnet, making the redheaded spy wonder just why she   
seemed frightened of the Gemlord brought back to life.  
  
Kunzite set his jaw slightly. To say that there may be bad   
blood between himself and the newly-resurrected Gemlord was   
an understatement. He had been there when this one had   
fallen, after all.  
  
Standing next to the Fire Warrior, Jadeite looked over their   
lord's choice with a seemingly detached interest.  
  
Still hugging one another, Ametrine looked from the Gemlord   
lying there to their now seemingly normal-appearing ruler.   
Obsidian was standing there, smiling.  
  
"Welcome back, Lord Adamant."  
  
At the sound of his name, the awakened man opened his eyes.   
Black as the night, they stared upwards, noting the familiar   
frescoes painted on the domed ceiling of the room atop the   
tower that was the center of Lithosian culture. *The Hall   
of the Mirror... Then all must be well after all?* "My   
lord?" the raven-haired Gemlord responded, turning his head   
toward the source of the voice.  
  
"Take a moment and regain your bearings, my friend, before   
you attempt to rise," Obsidian responded, kneeling down next   
to the other man. "The resurrection process may leave you   
somewhat disoriented for a moment."  
  
"No, I'm fine, my lord," Adamant said, beginning to sit up.   
As the Guardian of Space regained a standing position and   
stepped back to allow room for the other man to rise, the   
elegant warrior pulled himself up to stand once more on his   
booted feet. Though he felt weak at the moment, he was sure   
it would be a passing thing.  
  
"Very well," the Lord of Lithos acknowledged. "I'm sure you   
have many questions. Give me a few moments and I shall   
explain what's going on to not only you, but the others   
gathered here. However, I must be quick about it. There is   
a problem that's developed that I wish for you to deal   
with."  
  
"I am ever at your command, my lord," the resurrected   
Gemlord swiftly replied, lowering his head in a gesture of   
respect.  
  
"Your loyalty has ever been a joy to me," Obsidian replied   
with a smile. "And I thank you for that." Holding a hand   
out, he gestured for the slightly shorter man to turn and   
take a look behind himself. "Before you ask me why they are   
here, let me say that they are now free of the darkness that   
bound them and I am giving them a second chance to prove   
themselves worthy of being considered among our numbers. So   
far, they have given me no cause for grief."  
  
*They?* Jet-black eyes narrowed, a sudden feeling of anger   
sparking within him. Taken in context, Adamant knew there   
could only be one group his ruler could be speaking about.   
Turning, he looked in the direction indicated by the other   
man, and was not surprised to see the ones he expected.  
  
The Elemental Guard was there, or rather, three-fourths of   
them. Zoisite was doing her best to make herself   
unnoticeable there in the arms of her older, rather   
overprotective brother, while Jadeite and Kunzite stood side   
by side, the first watchful but the other wary. *A good   
thing our lord has vouched for you, Elementals,* the   
raven-haired warrior thought. *Especially you, Kunzite.*  
  
"Besides, I need them for what I have in mind," Obsidian   
added.  
  
"But sir, if you truly need us for whatever it is you are   
hoping to achieve, how do you propose continuing without our   
final member?" Leave it to the Air Warrior to ask one of   
the questions that just begged to be answered.  
  
"I know where Nephrite is..." Zoisite's soft voice spoke up,   
even though she continued to hide in the shadow of her   
sibling's taller form.  
  
Inwardly, Garnet groaned. Had he been aware that the Water   
Warrior had known that piece of information, he would have   
counseled her to keep it to herself until they all had   
figured out just what was going on. Still, he was   
continuing to reel from what he'd heard Zoisite say their   
usually-benevolent lord had threatened as well as what he'd   
witnessed the Guardian do.  
  
"Where?" the dark lord hissed, turning his attention fully   
to the fragile-looking Western Commander.  
  
"He's on Terra, my lord. Somehow, he's... *human*. He was   
there, helping Sailor Jupiter..."  
  
"Seems as if he feels an obligation toward that one,"   
Kunzite murmured, glancing to Jadeite for a brief moment.  
  
The Eastern Commander nodded his blond head, expression   
thoughtful. "Sounds like him all right."  
  
"Human, you say?" Obsidian asked, baritone voice holding a   
note of disbelief.  
  
"Stranger things have happened, my lord," Adamant softly   
reminded the other dark-haired Gemlord.  
  
The momentary flash of anger seemed to dissipate, leaving   
Obsidian with a bemused expression on his handsome face.   
"True enough. Very well, my plans in that matter won't   
change overly much. First the stones, then Nephrite."  
  
"The stones, my lord?" chimed in the twin voices of   
Ametrine, both the blond lord and the violet-haired lady   
speaking at once.  
  
"Yes, the stones," echoed the Guardian of Space. "However,   
I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the   
beginning...  
  
"I awoke alone in the Hall of the Mirror, the stillness of   
what proved to be centuries surrounding me. I had saved the   
Tower and the Mirror, but the price..." He trailed off, an   
infinite grief there in his dark-brown eyes for a moment.   
Shaking off the emotion, Obsidian started pacing across the   
carpeted floor, apparently retreating a bit into his own   
little world as he related to the others there how he had   
watched the history that he'd missed in the Orrery there   
within the Hall, how he had gathered them all together to   
bring them home to the Tower, going even into the Negaverse   
itself to find the stones of the ones lost there. His voice   
was low, melancholy, as he spoke of how Beryl was utterly   
lost and his decision to shatter her stone since the Gemlord   
was truly no more, and then it became hard, irritated, as he   
related how Nephrite had somehow evaded his Call.  
  
Listening to him, a thought began to form in Garnet's mind.   
Something was wrong with their ruler. To those that truly   
knew him, it was almost painfully obvious, even if he   
himself didn't see it. And now, there was opportunity. The   
redheaded spy frowned, feeling an ice-cold shiver run down   
his spine.  
  
Ametrine slowly let go of themselves, citrine and amethyst   
eyes wide in the listening of their lord's tale. They had   
floated out there in space, among the debris field that had   
once been their home planet, for a thousand years. The   
thought was a very sobering one.  
  
Adamant merely listened, letting the words fill in the gaps   
between that final moment of utter darkness and now. Though   
he had many questions, he was determined to wait and see how   
many the Guardian would answer on his own. However, he did   
take the opportunity to look over the other Gemlords there,   
a low, seething anger sitting there in the pit of his   
stomach every time he looked upon one of the three   
responsible for the catastrophe.  
  
Obsidian's low voice continued on, telling them of his   
determination to restore what was lost, of bringing life   
back to the Gemlords and Lithos alike, of how he'd taken the   
initiative to do what was needed, resurrecting the three   
Elementals he had in his possession, and then finishing up   
with telling how Garnet had come to be in the Tower.   
Pausing for a moment, the Guardian of Space turned his   
attention back to the three former generals. "And for this   
plan, because of the control needed to reform our world from   
debris and energy, I need four special stones. Forged at   
the beginning of all things, they are attuned to the ancient   
Elements that make up the whole of matter, pure Elemental   
energy crystallized." His dark gaze swept over the three   
Commanders there. "Yes, together we have the power to   
create matter from energy by weaving together the Five, but   
this will take a control finer than can be had locked as we   
are within physical shells. With these, we shall be able to   
set the warding and weave the spell."  
  
"We can't do it without Nephrite, my lord," Kunzite pointed   
out.  
  
"Indeed. It wasn't my intention to proceed without him.   
However, since I had no idea why he was able to resist my   
Call, I determined that the best course was to acquire the   
tools I needed first, and then search for him," Obsidian   
explained.  
  
The Fire Warrior relaxed slightly. There at least was one   
problem addressed.  
  
"If I may, sir," Garnet spoke up, "where exactly are these   
stones, and do you have any of them so far?" Of course, he   
already knew the answers, having listened to a sobbing   
Zoisite recount the recovery of the Sapphire from Castle   
Mariner, but he wanted to hear it from Obsidian himself --   
and he wanted the others to hear it as well.  
  
"With the help of Commanders Kunzite and Zoisite, I have two   
of the four in my possession. The other two will be found   
hidden within chambers in the hearts of the royal castles of   
Jupiter and Venus," the dark-clad Lord of Lithos replied,   
still pacing across the floor. "Unfortunately, it takes the   
castle's princess to open the doors, hence I need to borrow   
the key for a short length of time."  
  
*Borrow the key?* The redheaded spy blinked, a curl of fury   
warming within him. "A key?" he stated out loud, voice   
taking on a tone of pure amazement. "My lord, these are   
people you're discussing, not inanimate objects."  
  
Obsidian stopped, cape flaring out, the metallic gold trim   
catching the light of the illumination crystals as he   
whirled to face the young Gemlord. "They are still the key   
to open the chambers, like it or not."  
  
"My lord," the newly-resurrected Adamant began, "are these   
stones absolutely needed to accomplish your goals?"  
  
Still glaring at the redhead, the Guardian of Space curtly   
nodded. "Alone, the Elemental Guard could not focus enough   
to pull the pathetic remains of Lithos back together and   
give the remaining soulstones enough energy to wink back   
into existence. Perhaps with the Tower Guard's assistance,   
it could be done, but there has been an unforeseen problem.   
By pulling the Mirror into the Vortex to keep it from being   
reached by all save us born from the Mirror, I have   
inadvertently cut it off from its usual energy supplies. I   
know not how long it would be before I could bring the Tower   
Guard back to help, and even then, the spell would not be a   
sure thing.  
  
"But with these stones, what we lack will easily be made up   
for, straddling as they do the line between Energy and   
Matter. Success is practically guaranteed." Eyes alight   
with conviction and passion both, Obsidian swept his   
dark-brown gaze over the few living Gemlords. "Just think   
of it, my people... Everything we've lost would be regained.   
Lithos and the others would be alive again; we could go on   
as if nothing had happened."  
  
"I want that, my lord." Stepping away from her brother,   
Zoisite gestured toward her ruler, an almost desperate hope   
on her face. "For you, for Lithos, for the others... and   
for myself. I regret what happened, and I am truly sorry.   
If this can make up for some of what I've caused..."  
  
"For all of you," the dark lord replied, his gaze settling   
upon each of the three former Negaverse generals there,   
"help me accomplish this and I will forget about any harm   
you caused."  
  
Though neither one said a word, both the Fire Warrior and   
the Air Warrior nodded in agreement. It was a bargain, and   
a pardon, they were more than interested in making.  
  
"Very well. Then as it stands, I need to gain these other   
two gems before we can proceed."  
  
"My lord, I could have had Jupiter had you not called me   
back," the pale-lavender-maned Elemental pointed out, one   
hand curling into a fist.  
  
"Forgive me that, Commander," Obsidian said, sounding   
apologetic. "Commander Zoisite had already become a   
casualty. I had thought it more prudent to retreat and   
regroup, especially with this new factor that's imposed   
itself into our situation. With more of us in existence, we   
should work in teams to achieve our objectives. Though we   
now have a Healer available to us," he paused, nodding in   
the direction where Ametrine's twin forms stood nearby, "I   
wish to not have to need their services again, if it can be   
helped."  
  
"You want us to gang up on children, my lord?" Garnet asked,   
a look of disbelief on his face.  
  
"I want those gems, actually. And I want whatever hurt your   
precious sister to be taken out of the picture," came   
Obsidian's answer. Fixing his gaze on the ponytailed blond,   
he asked, "Zoisite, what exactly happened to you?"  
  
Folding her arms over her small breasts, the Western   
Commander softly spoke, relating what happened from the   
moment she saw the girl she knew was Sailor Jupiter running   
through the cemetery up to the point where the strange   
Senshi with the dragon-fanged circlet slammed her into the   
ground for the final time. Though she stared at the ground,   
feeling her cheeks burning in utter embarrassment, Zoisite   
was brutally honest in her retelling, not leaving out her   
pettiness.  
  
Watching her, Garnet's heart went out to her. In many ways,   
she was still very young, and it showed. He knew she did   
her best, but there were times that overly-emotional nature   
of hers got the better of her. Of course, it was better   
when he was male, but it seemed as if Zoisite was eschewing   
that part of herself for some reason or another. Though the   
redheaded spy longed to pull her back into a comforting   
embrace, he knew that right now, she needed to stand up by   
herself and face whatever results her actions caused.  
  
Shivering at the recall of the agony she'd endured, the   
Water Warrior turned her large, violet-blue gaze to her   
fellow Elementals. "Something else I learned about this   
Sailor Draco..."  
  
Recognizing the expression on the blond woman's face as one   
that just begged them to ask a question -- one didn't serve   
with one for millions of years and not get to know them at   
least a little bit -- Jadeite raised a blond eyebrow over an   
amber eye. "And just what was that, Zoisite?"  
  
"Draco is Siolan. You remember? That mercenary that Beryl   
assigned to Nephrite's command?" the youngest Gemlord   
replied, shuddering again, her arms tightening over her   
chest. "I recognized her voice. When I said her name, she   
confirmed it."  
  
"Well, well. Seems as if there's another thing Beryl screwed   
up on, then," Kunzite softly murmured.  
  
"That explains the viciousness exhibited towards our hapless   
Water Elemental, however," Jadeite said, casually inspecting   
the well-trimmed nails of a hand.  
  
The Guardian of the Gateways turned to look Adamant in the   
eye. "That is why I chose to use what energy I had to bring   
you back among the living. I have utter faith that you can   
deal with this new development."  
  
The raven-haired Gemlord smiled, nodding his head in a   
gesture of acknowledgment and respect. "I assure you that   
you will not be disappointed in my performance, my lord."  
  
"Good. I will not allow this Sailor Draco to undo what I'm   
trying to achieve. I want her dealt with in a manner that   
prevents her from interfering again."  
  
"You're not going to try to have Adamant assassinate her,   
are you?" Garnet asked, incredulous. This was swiftly going   
from bad to worse. The Guardian of Space he knew didn't so   
blithely go on the attack. Yes, world and people had been   
lost in an unprecedented moment of their ancient history,   
but the redheaded man still had large amounts of trouble   
seeing even that making their ruler become so blatantly   
reactionary -- and overly so.  
  
"It would be the prudent thing to do," the black- and   
gray-clad warrior replied, sable eyes narrowing in subtle   
warning at the younger man.  
  
"Prudent, perhaps, Adamant," Obsidian agreed, light   
glittering along his golden circlet as he nodded. "However,   
even I am loathe to permanently incapacitate the guardian of   
a star system. I'd rather see her out of the picture   
without having to resort to lethal means. After all, she is   
an agent of Energy, even as we are agents of Matter."  
  
"If that is your desire, my lord, I shall do my utmost to   
achieve it." The raven-haired Lithosian filed that   
knowledge away, his mind already thinking over the methods   
he could use to eliminate this Dragon Senshi as a threat   
without killing her.  
  
"Sir, please, I beg you to reconsider," Garnet began, taking   
a couple of steps forward, black leather coat creaking   
faintly. "There must be a better way of doing this."  
  
As the others watched, feeling the growing tension filling   
the sacred space of the Hall of the Mirror, Adamant took a   
step forward, eyes glittering with a diamond-hard light.   
Noting the movement of the other Gemlord and catching   
Ametrine's dual, wide-eyed expressions of consternation,   
Obsidian held up his hand in a staying gesture. Frowning,   
the newly-awakened Lithosian stopped in his tracks, obeying   
his lord's silent signal to hold for the moment.  
  
Dark-brown eyes raked over the redheaded spy still clothed   
in Terran garb. "Desperate times equal desperate measures.   
Never before have any of us faced a shattered Lithos and   
near extinction as a race."  
  
Shaking his head, Garnet refused to look upon the Guardian   
of Space. "The ends do *not* always justify the means."  
  
His hand still poised in that signal of restraint, the   
golden signet ring of his office there for all to see,   
Obsidian slowly nodded in reply to his spy's words. "Not   
always; that is true enough. However, can you truly fault   
me for wanting to restore everything that has been   
destroyed?"  
  
Granted, it was a noble goal. Even so, the way he was going   
about it was leaving quite the bad taste in Garnet's mouth.   
Folding his arms over his chest, he finally turned his   
violet gaze to stare at his *friend*. "No, but I *can*   
fault the methods by which you're going at it."  
  
Feeling very uncomfortable, Zoisite looked away from the   
growing confrontation. Hugging herself tighter, she closed   
her eyes, not wanting to see her dear brother get in trouble   
for his words and his questioning of Obsidian's authority.  
  
Kunzite and Jadeite as well were beginning to feel ill at   
ease. Though in the past their ruler had listened with an   
open mind to opposing points of view, things were quite   
different now. As he had said, never before had they been   
in a situation like this. Remaining silent, the two   
Elementals exchanged glances.  
  
"Garnet--" Adamant started to say, only to have the   
Guardian's baritone voice interrupt.  
  
"No, let him have his say for the moment." Tilting his head   
slightly, the Lord of Lithos gave the argumentative redhead   
a long, questioning stare before finally adding, "My methods   
are what they are out of necessity. There's no time for   
finesse at this point. The Mirror gathers energy far too   
slowly."  
  
Blinking in astonishment, Garnet could only stare back for a   
couple of beats of his heart. When he did recover, he   
rocked his weight back onto a booted foot and snorted in   
mild contempt. "No time? Too slowly? You're starting to   
talk like a *mortal*. Patience isn't just an option for us   
-- it's a mandatory part of the package. We have *time*, if   
nothing else."  
  
"My lord," Adamant practically pleaded, itching to put the   
younger Gemlord back in his place. Apparently Garnet's   
position, rather rashfully given in the raven-haired man's   
opinion, had gone to his head and it was high time the youth   
had some of that ego crushed.  
  
**No, Adamant,** the dark lord softly responded, looking at   
the other man out of the corner of his vision as he   
telepathed in a channel privy only to the two of them.   
**I'll deal with him for the moment.** Feeling the other's   
reluctant obedience, Obsidian turned his focus fully back to   
the Terran-clothed Lithosian, growling softly and crossing   
his arms over his chest. His very stance hinted at his   
growing agitation. "It's been long enough. How long were   
you in hell, Garnet? If you could have gotten it over with   
sooner, would you have? Even if the methods weren't exactly   
'proper'?"  
  
The redheaded spy only shrugged a single shoulder in   
response. "A thousand years. It's not much, all things   
considered. And that would depend on what methods I had   
available to me."  
  
"Ah, but at the time, Garnet, did you know it would only be   
a thousand years?"  
  
"No, I didn't."  
  
Obsidian smirked just a bit, dark gaze boring into the   
younger man. "So tell me, did you wish over and over there   
would be some way to end it, once and for all?"  
  
Again an almost casual shrug, Garnet's violet gaze meeting   
the one of his ruler. "Yes, I wished there was a way to end   
it, but I didn't go around *attacking* people who had   
nothing to do with what happened to me, at least! My lord,   
I think you're being too hasty. Stop pushing your   
timetable. Let the Mirror gather energy, and look for   
*other* ways to do this besides the course you're already   
on."  
  
"I need those stones, Garnet. There's no other way around   
it. As for nothing to do..." The words died off in a soft   
growl, a sense of betrayal emanating from the dark lord to   
those of his people with empathic abilities. Even so, when   
he spoke again, his words had nothing at all to do with that   
momentary flash of emotion. "You saw what this newcomer did   
to your precious Zoisite. Should I let that go unpunished?   
It would have, had I not taken the energy needed to bring   
back Lord Adamant."  
  
"There *is* a way around it," the redheaded spy insisted,   
stubbornly staring at the dark-clad Guardian, "You could try   
*asking* the Senshi for help. By treating them the way you   
*have* been treating them, you're inviting attacks.   
*You're* the one who dispatched Zoisite on the mission to   
attack Sailor Jupiter, my lord. Will you refuse to take any   
responsibility for what happened to her?"  
  
Garnet turned slightly, violet eyes now focusing on first   
his little sister and then on the pair of Elementals   
standing there off to her right. Recalling some of the   
Water Warrior's tearful story, he challenged, "Go ahead and   
tell our lord what happened when you fought the Outer   
Senshi. If this course continues, the Inners might wind up   
being supported again."  
  
Under the scrutiny of the redhead,the three members of the   
Elemental Guard reacted first to Garnet's demand with   
complete silence. Still very ill at ease, the ponytailed   
blond continued to stare down at the toes of her violet-blue   
boots while the Air Warrior shifted his gaze away from the   
spy's challenging stare to focus on the dual Gemlord   
slightly to his right and in front of himself. Frowning at   
the tension in the chamber, Jadeite dispassionately noted   
that Ametrine had returned to hugging themselves, the two of   
them looking wide-eyed and alarmed at the growing   
confrontation. Kunzite, however, met the spy's gaze,   
pale-lavender eyes narrowing slightly, his expression one of   
defensive wariness.  
  
**My lord, this is quite enough!** Adamant telepathed back   
over that private channel between the two of them, mental   
voice tinged with fury. Before the Guardian of the Gateways   
even had time to respond, he stepped forward, lips curled in   
a silent snarl. "Enough of your insolence!" All those   
present turned swiftly at the outburst from the   
now-trembling warrior. His words came swiftly, sharp as the   
edges of Zoisite's crystal shards. "It was enough that you   
had the arrogance to question the very incarnation of that   
which gave you life, your lord and master, but now you seek   
to use others to your advantage? I will tolerate no more of   
this! These three were present and accounted for the day   
Lithos fell," the black-maned Gemlord hissed as he indicated   
the Elementals, "unlike you. Though they stood against us,   
at least they *stood*!" The brief pause in Adamant's words   
was punctuated by Zoisite's gasp of astonishment; why was he   
defending her? After what had happened... "I have heard it   
said that you waited a thousand years, skulking in the   
shadows, while the defenders of Lithos lay dead. You have   
no place to even speak before the Guardian of Space, let   
alone to *question* his methods! Now *hold* your tongue and   
obey your lord!"  
  
There were few absolutes in Lithosian society; the one that   
ruled over them all valued each one of them as an   
individual. However, despite all the freedoms allowed by   
the Guardian to the long-lived race that had been created by   
the Mirror he served, there were a small number of rules   
that were *never* to be broken. And one of those, a   
doctrine drilled into thousands of years of training and   
placement within Lithosian society, was one that all young   
Gemlords swiftly learned: thou shalt respect thy elders.  
  
The wrath of a Lithosian, especially that from the oldest of   
the generations to step forth from the Mirror, was an   
awesome sight to behold, a small piece of the very forces of   
the Cosmos brought to bear in fury, righteous or otherwise.   
The rage on Adamant's face was echoed in the irritation   
within Lord Obsidian's eyes and the looks of disapproval the   
older Elementals were giving Garnet.  
  
Every Gemlord had his or her place, but none of them were   
ever to step out of that spot if it meant disruption of the   
whole. They were too few, their travels covering vast   
distances as they carried out their duties, to allow for   
anything but a cooperative society, each one contributing to   
the harmony of the whole.  
  
And Garnet had stepped out of bounds.  
  
He knew it, from the harsh looks the older Gemlords were   
giving him to the very fact that Adamant had felt compelled   
to risk the Guardian's censure to break the peace of the   
sacred Hall. Fear gripped him, his face paling in reaction,   
but his stubbornness kept him looking somewhat outwardly   
composed. Visage still deathly pale, he turned his head and   
focused his violet gaze on the suddenly very interesting   
design of Capricorn there woven into the plush carpet. For   
all his intelligence, his position and his talent, he was   
*still* one of the youngest Gemlords ever to emerge from the   
Vortex Mirror; it just wasn't his *place* to question their   
ruler in public. Any concerns should have been aired out in   
private.  
  
An almost deathly silence hung there in the circular chamber   
for a long, drawn-out moment. Finally, the redheaded spy's   
voice, so soft it could hardly be heard, broke the   
stillness. "Forgive me, Lord Adamant, my lord. I   
overstepped myself. I apologize." The plea was a heart-felt   
one, his sincerity easily read by those there with empathic   
skills.  
  
"My lord, please," the raven-haired warrior said, his words   
falling into the silence after Garnet's apology, "forgive me   
as well for not obeying you." Sable eyes turned to look to   
the Guardian, his expression shifting to a neutral one.  
  
"Well, then," Obsidian finally said, breaking the momentary   
silence after looking first at Adamant and then at Garnet.   
"I accept your apologies, both of you." Relaxing slightly,   
he walked over to stand before the redhead, making sure to   
keep a clear path between himself and the Mirror now behind   
him and to the left. "Since you seem overly concerned with   
what I have done with these children," he said, his rich   
baritone at a conversational level, "I'll show you I have no   
long-term ill planned for them." Turning swiftly, the dark   
lord thrust an arm at the black-green glass prison that had   
been Sailor Andromeda's home for a while.  
  
At his gesture, there came a sharp sound, the sound of glass   
breaking. Virtually exploding from within, the vitreous   
prison burst apart, dark shards of glass littering the dais   
next to and just in front of the Vortex Mirror. With a   
solid-sounding *thump* a brunette body fell to the floor,   
one that was glad in a Senshi uniform of white, purple and   
dark blue. The girl warrior lay there, unmoving, quite   
obviously unconscious, dark blue cape draped unceremoniously   
over her.  
  
"Ametrine," the Guardian of Space called out, catching the   
attention of the young, dual Gemlord. "That is Sailor   
Andromeda. Though she was a guest of the Silver Millennium   
in the years before the fall of Lithos, her true home is a   
star system at the heart of the Andromeda Galaxy. I think   
it's long past time for her to be sent home to where she   
truly belongs."  
  
"Are you asking us to take her to her home system, my lord?"   
the blond man asked, amethystine eyes wide.  
  
"Yes, I am. If she needs Healing, please do so, but after   
you take her to her homeworld."  
  
Ametrine glanced at themselves for a moment, then nodded,   
lord and lady doing so simultaneously. As the violet-haired   
woman closed her citrine-colored eyes and got the location   
to teleport from Obsidian, the blond lord walked over to the   
unmoving body and knelt down. Picking Andromeda up in his   
arms, he looked back over his shoulder to see when his other   
half rejoined him. The moment both forms were before the   
Mirror, the Symbol of Space began to once again glow with   
its eerie aura of blackish-green light. As one, the dual   
Gemlord stepped through the reflective surface, disappearing   
from the circular chamber.  
  
Pivoting on a heel, Obsidian fixed his dark-brown gaze on   
the redheaded spy, who was only now lifting his head to once   
again meet his lord's gaze. "There. She'll be back where   
she belongs and nothing more will happen to her."  
  
*But was any of it truly *necessary*?* Garnet couldn't help   
but ask himself. He *wanted* to say that to his lord, his   
friend, but he knew it would have to wait for a moment where   
he could follow up on his concerns in private.  
  
Getting no reply from any of the Lithosians remaining there,   
the Guardian of the Gateways nodded to himself. His   
attention turning to the raven-haired man, the one in charge   
of the corps of warriors who had worked among cultures that   
had known of the Gemlords and Lithos, Obsidian smiled.   
"Adamant, I believe you know what I'd like you to do?  
  
"Yes, my lord," he responded. Recognizing his ruler's words   
as a dismissal to carry out his orders, Adamant offered a   
respectful salute -- right fist closed over heart, a   
lowering of the head as well as a slight bow -- then turned   
and strode toward the Mirror. Already the dark, black-green   
shards of Obsidian's construct were gone, faded to   
nothingness now that the Guardian's will was no longer there   
to keep them intact. Even as he stepped up to the Symbol of   
Space, the scene upon its reflective surface shifted,   
becoming one of the tranquility and orderliness of some   
religious shrine. This was where Obsidian wished him to   
travel; the Mirror reflected the will of its lord. Without   
a look back, the raven-haired warrior stepped into the   
seven-foot-tall reflective pane of smooth, obsidian glass.  
  
All eyes turned back to Obsidian once the deep glow of the   
Mirror had faded away. Only four of them remained, the two   
older Elementals standing together off to one side and the   
youngest Elemental with her almost-equally-young sibling to   
the other.  
  
The dark lord returned their gazes, looking first from   
Kunzite and Jadeite to Zoisite and Garnet. "Now that this   
Sailor Draco will be dealt with, we need to come up with a   
plan to acquire those other two stones."  
  
"Respectfully, sir," the redheaded spy began. He still had   
his doubts about the methods being employed, still had a   
sense of something just not right. It was fairly obvious   
that by being out of line before, of questioning their ruler   
in front of everyone, Obsidian had immediately discounted   
any of his concerns. He needed to get his friend to *think*   
about what he was doing.  
  
Dark-brown eyes fixed on Garnet, a momentary flash of   
deep-golden fire alighting in them as the Guardian gave the   
younger man a look of irritation. "What now, Lord Garnet?"  
  
Flinching slightly, the intelligence officer gestured toward   
the dais and the throne resting upon it. "Could we perhaps   
talk in private, my lord?"  
  
Violet-blue eyes wide, Zoisite stared at her sibling. When   
he thought something was wrong, he could be downright   
persistent, but there were times she wondered about his   
stubbornness.  
  
The look exchanged between Kunzite and Jadeite said it all.   
It practically screamed "The ideals of youth". Deep within,   
however, the Fire Warrior too was disturbed by some of what   
he'd been sensing from the Guardian and yet, given what he   
knew of the man, he could see no better solution to   
anything. Perhaps he could have asked the Senshi for their   
assistance, but then there was no guarantee they would allow   
him to have the stones and had they resisted, they would   
have known of his plans.  
  
For the Air Warrior, the entire scene with Lord Garnet was   
on the irritating side. The man seemed to think that   
because he'd been favored with a position that ranked up   
there with the Tower Guard and the Elemental Guard   
themselves, everyone should view his opinions as treasured   
utterances of some demigod. The Cosmos relied upon the   
Gemlords, and right now, there were damned few of them in   
existence. Blinded to that basic duty by Metallia, Jadeite   
had been a part of what had made this come about, and he was   
quite willing to do whatever it took to rectify that   
mistake. If a few Senshi got temporarily hampered in the   
process, so be it. They were warriors, soldiers of their   
respective planetary powers; if they couldn't cut it, their   
planets would be better off without them in the first place.  
  
Obsidian kept his gaze on the younger man, considering his   
request. In all honesty, he truly wanted his people united   
behind him; that one of them at least seemed to have doubts   
bothered him, since it made little sense that Garnet would   
*prefer* to have things remain as they are. Sure that he   
could dissuade his friend of his misgivings, the Guardian of   
Space finally nodded. Turning and walking towards the dais,   
he gestured to Garnet to follow behind. "Come to my   
chambers then and we'll talk there. Elementals, you are free   
to relax as you will in the meantime. However, be ready for   
my call."  
  
"Yes, sir," the trio of Gemlords spoke, their voices coming   
at once. Each one saluted, again simultaneously, then   
watched as the Terran-clad spy trailed along after   
Obsidian's retreating form.  
  
The wall behind the throne was smooth, made of the same dark   
stone from which the entire tower was constructed.   
Immediately behind the black stone chair was a tapestry, one   
that depicted a floral motif like something found out of an   
illuminated manuscript surrounding a circle of antique gold   
bordered with black. Within that roundel was a black and   
deep-green star of four large points and four smaller   
points, oriented as a compass rose in a map would be, the   
longer rays at the cardinal directions, the smaller rays in   
between. The symbol of both the Guardian of Space and his   
now-destroyed homeworld, it overlooked the contents of the   
sacred Hall of the Mirror.  
  
Between the tapestry and the Vortex Mirror itself, the   
jet-black wall looked ordinary, unbroken. However, all   
those within that room knew better. Hidden away,   
constructed so that it could not be seen by purely visual   
senses, a doorway lead from the dais to a hallway that   
accessed the private quarters of Lord Obsidian and the Tower   
Guard. Responding to a mental command from the lord of the   
tower, the doorway made itself known, the opening becoming   
visible as a rectangular passage through the thick stone   
wall.  
  
Stepping through it and into the hallway beyond, Obsidian   
turned and waited for Garnet to follow him through before   
mentally giving the order for the door to close. As the   
rectangle once again disappeared, the dark-haired man   
gestured for the younger one to make his way over to the   
nearest door that was in the gently curving wall of the   
corridor.  
  
Nodding slightly at the invitation, Garnet crossed the   
hallway and pushed open the door. The walnut panel swung   
open soundlessly, exposing the first of what he knew was a   
three-room suite. Stepping within, he let his violet gaze   
sweep over the somewhat familiar furnishings of the   
Guardian's personal study.  
  
Like the door, the furnishings were made of walnut, the dark   
wood varnished to a semi-glossy finish. Bookcases filled   
with tomes from all over the universe lined those parts of   
the walls where the two doorways were not. Next to the   
doorway on the other side of the room that lead to the   
bedchamber, a painting was hung on the green-painted wall.   
The carpeting that covered the floor was a darker shade of   
green, the pile plush but short. Near the center of the   
room but just a bit to the left, facing towards the doorway   
he had just entered, a large desk set was located, the top   
of it neatly organized, while to the right and back towards   
the corner, a reading area consisting of two chairs, a table   
and a tall, brass-fixtured lamp was set up near some of the   
bookcases.  
  
Eyes focusing on the painting -- from what he recalled from   
other visits to this very same room, the picture was of a   
landscape, a solitary moon looming over a farmland draped in   
twilight, its dim, pale gaze far larger than Luna was over   
Terra -- Garnet waited for the room's owner to join him and   
begin the conversation. For all that they were friends, the   
spy couldn't help but feel rather nervous. Obsidian had to   
still be upset for the disruption out in the Hall.  
  
"Very well, Garnet. Tell me again of your misgivings."  
  
At the sound of the other's baritone voice, the redheaded   
Lithosian turned and gave the older man a long, almost   
pleading look. "I wish you'd reconsider what you're doing,   
my lord. *Talk* to the Senshi. Maybe they're willing to   
help you. As you said, you're only seeking to restore our   
people and our planet. I see no reason why they wouldn't   
want to help you with that."  
  
"They have given me no reason to trust them," the Guardian   
replied. "Unlike you, I am not willing to give them the   
benefit of the doubt simply because they are children. They   
are warriors first, the incarnation of planetary powers.   
Just because they are children doesn't make their position   
or their responsibility less."  
  
"Sir, they haven't done anything that I can tell that should   
make you think they *won't* assist you if you just asked   
them. By doing things as you are, you're only going to make   
them want to fight back. I don't want to see any of us get   
hurt, especially Zoisite."  
  
"That is why I now have Adamant out there to deal with   
Sailor Draco and why we are going to come up with a plan to   
get those other two stones."  
  
Garnet mentally groaned, his lips turning down in a frown   
for a moment. Why was Obsidian being so obstinate? Couldn't   
he see that this just wasn't the *right* way to go about   
this? "Why are you so set on doing it like this, sir? We   
have time on our side, after all."  
  
The Guardian shook his head, the deep-red highlights of his   
nearly-black hair shimmering faintly as he did so. "No,   
Garnet, we don't. I have a responsibility to my people and   
to the Cosmos. We have been essentially non-existent for a   
millennium, five of our number actively causing damage." He   
paused, that dark, melancholy expression crossing his face   
again as his mind turned to the image of the low table in   
the Hall covered with the remaining soulstones of his   
people, the ones that relied upon him to lead them. His   
voice dropping low, almost talking to himself, Obsidian   
continued, "They've been dead long enough. They've been   
scattered throughout the debris that was our home long   
enough. I've seen the evidence of my failure long enough."  
  
"Your *responsibility*, my lord, doesn't include *forcing*   
the issue," the redhead stated, sure of his point. Why   
couldn't he *see* that? Sighing softly, shook his head   
slightly. "But they're not scattered *now*, my lord. You   
brought them to our quintessential home -- the Tower. You   
saved that much. Is your pride really so much more   
important than anything else that you have to risk   
*everything* in a scheme that might not even work?"  
  
Dark-brown eyes narrowed in irritation. Why couldn't this   
youngster understand what it was he felt compelled to do?   
"It's not a matter of pride, it's a matter of fact. In our   
millennial absence, Chaos has gained much, far more than we   
can tolerate," Obsidian growled, arms coming up to cross   
over his black-clad chest. "We can *not* afford to dawdle   
and take our time because a few Senshi might be   
inconvenienced, and your refusal -- or inability -- to see   
that is beginning to make me question my judgment in having   
you in such an important position."  
  
"But sir, one of my duties is to point out to you what's   
going on--" Garnet began to say.  
  
"Your main duty is to do as I ask of you, however. That is   
*why* your position has the power it does."  
  
Garnet nodded, his gold circlet glimmering there on his brow   
underneath bangs of deep red hair. "Yes, my lord, I realize   
that," he answered, standing there before the older man,   
making himself relax and return his arms to a position along   
his sides. "But please allow me to be *honest* with you, as   
I've striven always to be. What you're doing to the Senshi   
is not *right*, Obsidian. All you need is those Elemental   
stones. You *didn't* need to render the foci of Mars and   
Mercury inoperable. And you shouldn't *have* to go about   
this task in the way you've been doing. They're *not* the   
enemy. They're *children*, and they're the Inner Senshi.   
They've traditionally been our allies."  
  
Reaching for something to get through to the other man,   
Garnet paused before what he sure hoped was a direct blow,   
given all that he knew of his lord's past. "Queen Serenity   
wouldn't approve."  
  
"Leave her out of this!" Obsidian hissed, closing the   
distance between the two of them rapidly, a hand darting out   
to grab the other man by the shirt. Glaring angrily at the   
youngster who seemed determined to be a stubborn ass about   
things, the dark lord's voice grated out in a growl, "She's   
dead. She has *nothing* to do with this. As for those   
*children*, they *are* the Inner Senshi for all their youth.   
They will get their powers back once I'm assured they cannot   
interfere in what I'm attempting to achieve, but I will   
*not* allow the needs of my people or the Cosmos to be cast   
aside. Lithos and the Gemlords will be restored, will you   
or *nil* you."  
  
Though taller and bulkier than the older man, Garnet paled   
and turned his gaze away from the furious Guardian. In an   
attempt to push home his point, he'd managed to once again   
overstep his bounds, catching the fury of the oldest of all   
right in his face. All he could hope for now was submission   
alleviating the rage.  
  
Obsidian's voice dropped to a very silent, very   
deadly-sounding tone. "You will help me get those stones,   
just as the others will. I rule here, Garnet."  
  
"Yes, my lord," the spy replied, his own voice just as   
quiet.  
  
"And you're going to start right now, or face the   
consequences of disobeying me. Am I clear?"  
  
"Yes, my lord," came the small-voiced response.  
  
"Very well," Obsidian said, anger-filled, dark-brown eyes   
continuing to glare at the redheaded Lithosian in his grasp.   
"This is a direct order, in case you can't figure it out.   
You will take Zoisite with you and the two of you will--"  
  
His words died off, his attention grabbed by a sudden,   
telepathed message. Stiffening slightly, his gaze remained   
focused on the cowed man even as he listened to Adamant's   
report. The moment the contact broke off, Obsidian's   
attention returned to the Gemlord at hand. The smile that   
crossed his face was one that was dark and chilling both.  
  
"Well now, you've got the perfect opportunity to prove to me   
that you are worthy of keeping your exalted position,   
Garnet. You are going with all three of the Elementals and   
you are going to help Lord Adamant get Sailor Draco   
neutralized. You are then going to all work together to   
recover the stone there at Io Castle and you're going to   
bring Jupiter, Mars and Draco here to the Tower. Do you   
understand your orders?"  
  
Garnet squeezed his violet eyes shut, agonizing. It was the   
last thing he wanted to do, and yet, it was very clear that   
he truly had no choice, not if he wanted to keep his job and   
possibly his existence. "Yes, sir," he managed to choke   
out. "I understand."  
  
"Good." Letting go of the man, Obsidian straightened out   
the dark tunic that covered his torso and stepped back.   
"Then get out of my sight and meet the others at Io Castle.   
I hear one word from any of them that you weren't   
cooperating and you will face my wrath."  
  
Sullenly, the redheaded spy smoothed down his T-shirt and   
tugged his leather jacket back into place. Taking a deep   
breath and then giving the Lord of Lithos a respectful   
salute, he teleported out of Obsidian's study, a   
double-helix of red light swirling around his athletic form   
as it faded away.  
  
Watching him disappear, the Guardian of Space smiled, the   
expression a chilling one. Closing his eyes, he proceeded   
to telepath his orders to Adamant and the Elementals.  
  
  



	11. Dragonfall

DRAGONFALL   
  
  
Space warped, rippling and shimmering like the dance of heat   
at the edge of a desert horizon, bursting outward on itself   
and distorting the surroundings. For the first time in   
centuries, something disturbed the quiet stillness of that   
hallway. White-veined green marble lined the hallway, the   
illumination of the area low, adding to the sense of   
abandonment. Dust swirled in the wake of the spatial   
origami as a trio of figures was disgorged there before the   
tin-plated doors.  
  
Antique-gold eyes scanned over the corridor, every sense on   
the alert for any unexpected or hidden dangers. Sailor   
Draco flexed her fingers, the mental command to unsheathe   
the Dragon Claws at the ready while she took a swift moment   
to take in their surroundings.  
  
Nothing. The place seemed as deserted as it looked.  
  
Violet eyes made a cursory inspection. To Raye, this place   
where she found herself was slightly familiar, being very   
similar to the area outside the chamber of the Sacred Flame   
back in Phobos Deimos Castle. They were standing within a   
wide corridor lined with green marble and adorned with faded   
tapestries showing the glories of the history of the Jovian   
kingdom, dimmed light casting weak rays of illumination from   
faintly glowing fixtures high up on the white-veined green   
walls. To their right, prominently placed within the   
stone-lined wall, was an ornate pair of enormous doors, the   
high-relief sculptures decorating it showing regal scenes of   
justice, dominion and everyday Jovian life. In the center   
of the doors, within a circle bisected by the joint between   
the two halves of the double door, the stylized symbol of   
the planet of Jupiter dominated the tin-gilded surface.  
  
She had come home. Lita stood there, staring at the   
tin-covered entry, her forest-green eyes shimmering too   
brightly in the dim light, the sense of peace and joy at   
being here momentarily overwhelming her. No matter that she   
was now a human, an Earthling in this lifetime -- this is   
where she truly belonged. Her breath catching in her   
throat, she reached up and lightly stroked her fingertips   
along the shiny, metallic surface, tracing the edge of the   
astrological symbol.  
  
"Hey, I'm glad you're happy to be here, but we *did* come   
here for a reason," Draco growled, noticing how caught up   
the ponytailed brunette was getting in the moment.  
  
A curl of anger unfurled within the girl, triggered by the   
interruption of the older Scout. Forest-green eyes   
narrowing, Lita sighed and reluctantly lifted her hand from   
the surface she had been touching so reverently. Turning   
her focus to the current problem, the athletic teen took a   
step back from the entryway and looked it over for a long   
moment. Realizing that she didn't have the first idea where   
to start, she turned her verdant gaze upon her friend.   
"Raye, how exactly did you get the doors to open in your   
castle?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I was under Obsidian's control at the time,"   
the raven-haired priestess replied, her expression becoming   
one of thoughtfulness. "Somehow, he managed to trigger   
something within me..."  
  
Lita frowned in disappointment, her focus returning to the   
tin-covered doors. "That's not a lot of help..."  
  
"I do remember having a need to open the doors, though,"   
Raye continued, pulling the hazy memories from her mind. "I   
had my transformation pen in my hand, and had a feeling that   
it was important to go inside and see the Sacred Flame."  
  
"Well, let's try *something*, ladies, before this Lord   
Obsidian decides to take another stab at grabbing Jupiter,"   
Draco said, folding her arms over her chest. *It's a wonder   
that these girls can get anything done,* the redheaded   
Senshi thought to herself, her golden gaze scanning over   
their surroundings again.  
  
Ignoring the flame-haired woman, Lita slipped a hand into   
her pocket and pulled out the slender, gold and green pen   
that was her key to the Jovian powers. At the moment, the   
orb within the golden ring that topped the verdant-shafted   
object was quiescent, the green sphere dark with potential.   
Holding the item between clasped hands, the pen resting   
against the center of her chest, the tall brunette closed   
her eyes and focused her mind on a single thought. *I wish   
to go inside and see the Sacred Oak...*  
  
The place was almost too quiet, even for a castle that was,   
by all indications, abandoned for at least a thousand years.   
The Dragon Senshi frowned, her senses on the alert, her   
lithe body carried in a relaxed but ready stance. That the   
marble-lined corridor and its decorations showed no signs of   
having seen the visit of anyone for a long period of time   
made Draco feel slightly better. However, she was well   
aware of at least Kunzite's and Zoisite's ability to   
teleport. That alone made the black-bodysuited woman on   
edge. At least she'd managed to pick up a sort of a   
second-sense in her long years in the Negaverse, discovering   
an ability to get a slight warning when one of the other   
generals was about to pop into existence near her. Relying   
upon that innate ability, Draco turned her attention back to   
watching the taller teenager stand before the ornate doors,   
one of the Dragon Senshi's green-gloved fingers tapping   
against a forearm.  
  
Lita continued to focus on her thought, the outside world   
slipping away. Somewhere from deep within, something   
stirred, something that struggled upward like a seedling   
pushing up through the cool embrace of the soil to greet the   
warmth of the sun. Emerald light began to glow around the   
transformation pen, spreading to dance around the girl's   
athletic body, its verdant illumination lighting up the once   
dimly-lit corridor.  
  
Raye watched in amazement, violet eyes going wide, as the   
other teenager began changing within that aura of green   
light. Lita grew just a bit taller, her visage becoming   
older, more mature. Her clothing changed, from jeans and a   
T-shirt to an elegant gown of emerald green silk, the hem   
brushing against the white-veined marble floor, the skirt   
slit to allow for movement as well as showing a flash of her   
well-proportioned legs and the plunging neckline only   
accentuating the beauty of the grown woman standing there.   
Gold and emeralds glittered against her fair skin, part of   
an ornate necklace that now encircled her neck, and more   
emeralds sparkled within the intricate hairstyle her rich,   
brunette tresses were now in. Instead of her usual topknot   
ponytail, her hair was piled on top of her head, a thick   
braid encircling the rest. More gold and emeralds glimmered   
from a bracelet around her right wrist.  
  
The sight brought a feeling of bittersweet melancholy with   
it for the Shinto priestess. Here was her friend, the   
princess of Jupiter, someone she'd not seen in so very long.   
The vision of the elegant beauty made Raye smile brightly,   
even as unshed tears welled up within her violet eyes.   
Memories came back, fond ones, of the court of princesses   
sharing so many fun times within the confines of both the   
Moon Palace and their own home castles. To see her again   
was almost miraculous.  
  
Forest-green eyes opened as the aura of green light faded   
away; Princess Jupiter looked up at the center of the double   
doors while she transferred her transformation pen to the   
grip of her right hand. Slender fingers curled around the   
green shaft, she stepped forward and stretched her arm out,   
touching the golden cap to the middle of the planetary   
symbol carved upon the tin-gilded doors. The words came to   
her easily enough, pushed upward by the same forces that had   
awakened this part of her now manifest. "By the power and in   
the name of Jupiter, I ask that you open to me, your   
mistress. Allow me passage to the Sacred Oak beyond."  
  
The verdant sphere within the golden ring atop the   
transformation pen flared to life, the Jovian symbol   
shimmering in its depths. The emerald light reached   
outward, spreading over the larger astrological symbol   
carved upon the doors like wildfire. The green light from   
the now brightly glowing Jupiter symbol on the doorway cast   
its emerald hue over the princess, the Senshi and the   
priestess standing there for a moment. Then the massive   
doors swung silently inwards, parting to allow the castle's   
mistress into the chamber at the very center of the   
structure.  
  
Lowering her hand and turning to give her companions an   
excited smile, Princess Jupiter made a "follow me" gesture   
with an expansive wave of her left arm. "Come on! Let's take   
a look inside." Gracefully turning, the young woman strode   
forward, stepping through the now-open doorway.  
  
"It's about time," Draco muttered under her breath as she   
lowered her arms and walked after the disappearing form of   
the princess. Her keen hearing picking up the footfalls of   
the black-haired teen behind her, the Dragon Senshi glanced   
around at the room beyond the fancy, metallic doors.  
  
The room was surprisingly bare, being a large chamber devoid   
of anything save the highly-polished, white-veined,   
green-colored marble that lined the floor, walls and ceiling   
of the room. The soft sound of a breeze rustling the leaves   
of a tree greeted the trio of females, their footsteps on   
the shiny, almost reflective surface of the floor echoing in   
the vast chamber. The feeling of power filled the space and   
made their skin tingle, the energy making it seem as if the   
entire room was softly glowing with a green light.  
  
Dominating the chamber, however, was a sight that left the   
trio feeling awed as they gazed upon it, their steps taking   
them slowly closer to it. From a square-shaped dais of   
three steps rose an enormous, ancient oak tree, a massive   
specimen of the species. Rough bark thrust gnarled branches   
up into the heights of the chamber, the limbs festooned with   
the gloriously healthy dark green of the massive, broad   
leaves. The Oak seemed strong, sturdy, the epitome of   
everything such trees symbolized, its foliage full and   
looking to be at the height of the summer growing season.  
  
Looking upon it, Draco couldn't help but think of Nephrite.   
In many ways, he and this tree felt very similar. *He did   
mention that he was the 'Earth Warrior, the Commander of the   
North', whatever that was supposed to mean...*  
  
Both the older redhead and the younger, raven-haired   
priestess stopped a respectful distance away. As Raye   
continued to watch the graceful figure of the princess   
approach the holy tree in the center of the chamber, Draco   
took a moment to glance back over her shoulder. Habit, more   
than anything, kept her wary. Seeing nothing but the   
still-open, tin-covered doors in the marble-covered walls,   
the Dragon Senshi turned her attention back to the huge tree   
and the emerald-clad woman striding toward it.  
  
Princess Jupiter gazed upon the Sacred Oak reverently, her   
heart joyful to see it in such perfect health after all this   
time. Though the kingdom may have fallen and Io Castle   
abandoned to the winds of time, the Oak remained, as strong   
and sturdy as ever. And she was here now, doing what she   
could to keep it safe. A fierce protectiveness welled up   
within her as she thought about Obsidian and his cronies   
tampering with her beloved Oak like they had the Flame of   
Mars and the Fountain of Mercury; no, never would she allow   
anyone to do something that would harm this precious tree.  
  
They'd have to kill her first.  
  
*Come on, princess... What's taking you so long?* the black-   
and green-clad Senshi mentally growled. Obsidian and his   
Gemlords could be preparing even now and it seemed as if the   
emerald-adorned woman was taking her own sweet time to get   
over to the Oak and get the stone from it. It didn't help   
her mood any to realize that *this* was the one that had   
held Nephrite's affections before the Negaverse -- another   
detail he'd mentioned in telling everyone there in the   
Shinto temple's sanctum his story. She had to admit that   
the Jovian princess was beautiful.  
  
The brunette female walked up the trio of steps, standing on   
the narrow walkway of marble that surrounded the rich earth   
into which the Oak had its roots deeply sunk. Forest-green   
eyes scanning over the dark, rough bark that covered the   
massive trunk, Princess Jupiter searched for a hollow she   
knew was there. Stepping to the right, still searching, she   
couldn't help but reach out with a hand and gently caress   
the tree in a moment of affection for the focus of her   
planetary powers.  
  
Though the bark was slightly raspy beneath the stroke of her   
fingertips, the feeling of power and goodwill made her   
smile. A couple more steps around the solid Oak and her   
smile widened, her gaze falling upon the very thing for   
which she was searching. "Ah hah..." she murmured to   
herself, leaning forward and sticking her free hand into the   
hollow, her other hand continuing to clutch her   
transformation pen.  
  
At first, only empty air met the touch of her questing   
fingers. Scooting forward a bit more and stretching upward,   
Princess Jupiter moved her hand, feeling around in the space   
beyond the opening. Just as she was about to give up for a   
moment, regroup and try again, she felt a sudden hard   
coolness against her fingertips. Lifting herself up and   
supporting her weight on the balls of her feet, the hand   
still clasping the Jupiter pen coming up to rest against the   
trunk of the Oak to give her something to brace against, the   
Jovian woman snatched at the object. Feeling the form of it   
within her grasp, she pulled back, taking it from the   
hollow.  
  
Her heart suddenly pounding in her chest, she turned her   
hand over and uncurled her fingers, forest-green eyes going   
wide at the sight. She held a jewel in her hand, a large   
emerald of absolute perfect hue, luster and clarity, faceted   
in the classic emerald cut. The gem glittered darkly in the   
light of the sacred chamber, ripe with the secrets of the   
Earth Element. It was absolutely gorgeous... and apparently   
just as powerful.  
  
Excitement flowing through her, she turned to face the   
others, holding up her hand so that they could see the stone   
glimmering there in her grasp. "I have it!" Princess   
Jupiter called out to her companions. "I have the Emerald of   
Forests!"  
  
"Then give it here, quickly," Draco shouted back. She'd see   
to it that the stone was kept safe from Obsidian's greedy   
hands. She hadn't been one of the best in the Draconian   
Empire and in the Negaverse for nothing. Compared to these   
children who were the current crop of planetary Senshi for   
this system, she was far more experienced and capable than   
they were.  
  
Frowning slightly at the older Scout's imperious tone,   
Princess Jupiter lowered her hand and started down the dais,   
heading back towards her friend and the slightly abrasive   
woman. She only got as far as the bottom step there   
underneath the spread of the Oak's mighty limbs before   
suddenly stopping, her forest-green eyes going wide in   
abrupt astonishment.  
  
A tall, dark form appeared seemingly out of nowhere right   
behind the gold-caped Scout, looming slightly over the   
redhead like a shadow of doom. Even as Princess Jupiter's   
surprised mind tried to process that information, she could   
see a black, formidable-appearing staff suddenly *there* in   
the newcomer's hands. Curling her hands around both gem and   
transformation pen, the green-clad woman shouted out a   
warning and started running toward Draco and the stranger   
menacing her. "Look out!"  
  
She wasn't swift enough. The low sound of energy hummed   
within the echoing chamber, the staff made a   
perfectly-executed swing. Dark blood spattered against the   
white-veined marble floor, staining the green stone's   
polished surface.  
  
Aware of how swiftly he would lose the element of surprise   
and of the fact that the one running toward him held the   
very thing his lord needed, Adamant set his jaw and mentally   
solidified back to stone the one end of his gemstone staff   
that he had energized. Recalling the Elementals' tale of   
this Senshi shrugging off hard blows to her body, the   
raven-haired warrior made sure to make his next strike hit   
hard and heavy. A thrust to the left sent the top end of   
his weapon slamming hard into the Senshi's side, just under   
the ribs and with an upward-driving force. His body moving   
with a nearly feline grace, he reversed the swing of his   
six-foot staff, lowering his left hand while driving his   
right up and forward. The now-solid end of his weapon   
connected hard, slamming the side of the bodysuited woman's   
red-haired head. All this before her body fell to the   
floor, unable to carry her weight any longer on her feet.   
Hard to stand when someone's cut the hamstring of one leg.  
  
Draco had barely enough time to register the fact that the   
princess had shouted out a warning before the redhead's   
right ankle exploded in searing pain. Taken by surprise --   
there had been no warning, no sound, no sense of anything   
wrong -- she had only a sense of falling to the floor before   
two nearly crushing blows slammed into her. Though not   
quite winded by the hit that had attempted to rob her of her   
breath, the resounding smack against the side of her cranium   
left her somewhat stunned. Whatever had whacked her had   
done so with more force than she'd hit the tombstones in the   
cemetery.  
  
Standing over his prey, the raven-haired Gemlord impassively   
watched as the gold-caped soldier laid crumpled on the   
sacred chamber's floor. Turning his gemstone staff in his   
sure, controlled grip, he lowered an end of the weapon,   
simultaneously giving it a mental command. In response, the   
lowermost two feet of the staff energized, the stone giving   
way to a construct of softly humming, concentrated power of   
a hue as dark as night.  
  
Even as she hit the green stone floor, the Dragon Senshi did   
her best to shake off the effects of the attack. Rolling   
over, ignoring the burning agony that indicated something   
was seriously wrong with her right leg, she was about to   
make an attempt to rise to her feet when the hum of energy   
and a feeling of heat near her neck forced her to pause.   
Antique-gold eyes glancing down, she found herself   
confronting a weapon that appeared to be a beam of black   
radiance; scanning upward, she saw that it was only   
partially made of energy, the rest being a darkly glittering   
stone. Pale hands were holding the six-foot-long staff in a   
deceptively relaxed hold, hands that belonged to a   
formidable-appearing man dressed in silver, slate gray and   
sable.  
  
Seeing the dark stranger -- Princess Jupiter was sure she   
had never seen this particular man before -- holding his   
eerily glowing weapon virtually at Sailor Draco's neck, the   
emerald-adorned woman came to a stop, hesitating. Should   
she hold her ground and wait to see what the man wanted, or   
should she transform?  
  
Antique-gold eyes narrowed; Draco made a couple of quick   
mental calculations. *If this bozo thinks he's got me beat,   
he's got another think coming.* A silent command and the   
tines of the Dragon Claws extended, the redhead   
concentrating on that and ignoring the burning pain in her   
right ankle. Her left arm darted out; mystic powers clashed   
with a sound and a mental sense that left everyone's ears   
ringing as Senshi energy and Gemlord energy fought with one   
another to slash through the other. The Claw on her left   
hand sparking against the energized part of the stranger's   
staff, keeping the deadly weapon from her neck, she snarled   
and lashed out with the Claw on her right hand.  
  
The sound of shredding cloth gave her some sense of   
satisfaction -- until the silvery blades met with an   
unexpected resistance. Her gaze darting over to look, Draco   
felt a sudden fear as she realized that not even the   
planetary powers of her artifact could cut the skin of this   
newest foe. Eyes wide in astonishment, she watched as the   
Claw skidded across the surface of the man's knee and lower   
thigh without making so much as a mark.  
  
Adamant's expression turned grim indeed. Just as he was   
about to pull his staff away from the silvery blades holding   
it in check, however, a sudden telepathed command   
momentarily imposed itself upon his consciousness. In a   
matter of seconds, the plans changed and the raven-haired   
warrior responded accordingly. A swift spin of his weapon   
and a perfect aim, taking advantage of the Senshi's   
momentary surprise at her discovery of one of his unique   
attributes as a Gemlord. The still-solid end of his adamant   
staff cracked down decisively against Draco's right temple.   
Seeing the black-clad body go slack, Adamant turned and   
dashed into action, running straight at the emerald-clad   
woman holding the green stone desired by Lord Obsidian.  
  
Raye had retreated a couple of steps away from Draco the   
moment the dark stranger had launched his attack. Without   
her powers, there wasn't much she could do, and she *knew*   
that her *ofuda* -- her Shinto charms to ward off evil   
spirits -- wouldn't work on this one. There wasn't anything   
evil she could read off his presence. Her slim body held in   
a fearful stance of ready action, all she really could do   
was stand there and hope that Sailor Draco and Princess   
Jupiter would be able to handle the aggressor.  
  
Emerald eyes darkened in determination. Seeing the   
raven-haired man rapidly closing the distance between them,   
the Jovian princess lifted her hand in the air, holding her   
transformation pen aloft. "Jupiter--"  
  
Four auras suddenly appeared, even as the black- and   
gray-clad man abruptly vanished. A double-helix of deep,   
violet-tinged red, a glimmer of violet-pink, a swirl of   
cherry blossom petals and a flash of orange-yellow light,   
they heralded the arrival of three men and a lone woman.   
Two of them Princess Jupiter recognized. Kunzite and   
Zoisite each taking up a position around the fallen Sailor   
Draco, along with the yellow- and orange-clad man with short   
blond hair, was the last thing the emerald-eyed woman saw   
before the whole world exploded in pain and went dark.  
  
The the one aura that really caught the redheaded Senshi's   
attention was the swirl of cherry blossom petals.   
Apparently the little brat wasn't as broken as first   
thought. Trying to get to her feet and finding her right   
foot unresponsive to commands, Draco did her best to prepare   
for what was to come next. Light glittering along the   
silvery blades, a soft growl sounding from deep within her   
throat, she looked around herself as the three former   
Negaverse generals surrounded her. Each one of the trio   
looked hostile, cold... distant... much as they had in the   
depths of that sunless kingdom. Normally she'd be inclined   
to taunt the blue-clad woman, but something about them put   
her on edge, made her more cautious than was her usual wont.   
She was already at a disadvantage and in pain, though that   
was fading with the rush of an upcoming confrontation.  
  
A nod from Kunzite and Jadeite held his hands in front of   
his athletic form. "Air Energy Electrify," the Eastern   
Commander intoned, his voice controlled, clipped. At the   
verbal trigger, a dome of yellow light sprang to life around   
the golden-caped Senshi, effectively caging her like one   
would a wild animal.  
  
The silver-haired Fire Elemental was next, hands coming up   
in the same gesture the other Gemlord had used. "Fire   
Energy Electrify."  
  
Sailor Draco blinked, looking from first Jadeite to Kunzite   
and then to Zoisite. This was something new, something...   
unexpected. They were working together, and weaving   
something that was more than she'd ever sensed from any of   
them before. *What in the nine hells are they doing?*  
  
The moment the princess's unconscious body hit the marble   
floor of the sacred chamber, Adamant knelt down and plucked   
the darkly shimmering Emerald from her slack grasp. Sable   
eyes looked it over for just a moment before he slid the   
stone into a pocket of his black pants. Feeling the build   
up of power from the Elementals as they worked quickly to   
contain the Dragon Senshi, he lifted his gaze to stare at   
the fourth Gemlord that had come to help with the mission   
given to them all by their ruler.  
  
It was all damned *distasteful*. The redheaded spy grit his   
teeth as he heard the calls of the Elementals, saw the   
commander of the Overt Operations Corps of Lithos bending   
over the princess he'd just smacked into a hopefully   
temporary oblivion with that adamant staff of his. And   
there wasn't a thing he could do but go along. Violet eyes   
scanning over the scene, he sighed as his gaze fell upon the   
raven-haired girl standing in uneasy readiness, her body   
clad in a white and red, loose-fitting outfit. *Cosmos, I   
have to beat up on kids...* Sighing heavily, Garnet took a   
couple of steps toward the girl.  
  
"Stay away from me, or you'll regret it," Raye called out in   
challenge, violet eyes flashing fire.  
  
Garnet crossed the rest of the distance in a quick sprint,   
reaching out to grab the teenager. "I already regret it," he   
hissed. Feeling the fiery girl try to grab him in a hold   
designed to throw him, the redheaded spy fluidly reversed   
it, ending up behind her and locking down a very effective   
sleeper hold against her. Damned if he was going to hurt   
her any more than was necessary, and damned if he was going   
to let himself get hurt in the process.  
  
The look in Zoisite's violet-blue eyes was almost gleeful,   
though the seriousness of her expression kept it from being   
obnoxiously so. "Water Energy Electrify," she softly said,   
raising her hands and adding her energy to the dome that   
surrounded the crippled Senshi. Violet-blue energy blended   
into the yellow and violet-pink already making up the   
shielding.  
  
Determined to get the hell out of whatever trap this must   
be, the golden-caped Senshi lunged as best she could toward   
a side of the shining dome, lashing out with one set of   
silvery blades even as the other set scraped against the   
green marble, cutting furrows in the white-veined stone.   
Like the raven-haired man's skin, the Claws merely slid   
across the energy's surface, not even making a ripple in the   
matrix. Draco growled again, a sinking feeling washing over   
her. This was going from bad to worse.  
  
Off to the side from the swirling dome of energy trapping   
the formidable Senshi, Garnet winced as the teenaged girl   
kept trying to claw at the arm squeezing the column of her   
neck, her well-manicured fingernails needling into his skin   
through his leather jacket. That she was actually hurting   
him through his clothing was a testament to how desperate   
she was to slip from his choking grasp. Narrowing his   
violet eyes, he tightened the sleeper on her, feeling her   
struggles starting to fade.  
  
Things looked like they were being handled very well;   
Adamant mentally nodded. Still kneeling next to the   
unmoving, brunette-haired woman, the tall Gemlord laid his   
weapon down on the marble floor and then slipped his arms   
under his downed foe's green-clad form. Scooping her up to   
cradle her against his breast, he rose to his feet, his   
gemstone staff fading back into nothingness, ready for him   
to call it into being again.  
  
She had to do *something*. The Dragons only knew if the   
former generals and their two friends had already swooped   
down on Nephrite and the pair of Senshi in his company.   
There was still hope that they had come here first. If so,   
she *had* to get out of this and go to his help. They'd   
want that other stone...  
  
Only two attacks could possibly work against the power she   
senses surrounding her. Turning the possibilities in her   
mind, Draco reluctantly discarded her most intense   
manifestation of planetary power. That one required a   
target to rend and tear, and all she was facing at the   
moment was a shield of energy entrapping her.   
Half-crouched, half-kneeling, the best position she could   
achieve with her one foot not working, the Dragon Senshi   
began to marshal her attack. "Draco Star--"  
  
Working together, their minds linked and focused on what   
they had created, the trio of Elementals gestured in an   
almost perfect synchronous motion, Kunzite, Jadeite and   
Zoisite mentally bracing for whatever their trapped foe   
would throw at them.  
  
"*Incineration*!" The moment the final syllable was voiced,   
the redheaded Senshi straightened and arched back, her   
humanoid body taking on a position as close as it could to   
the classic image of a dragon breathing fire. Antique-gold   
eyes suddenly glowed with a white-hot light, that same   
heated radiance forming within her still-open mouth. The   
light grew brighter, building, casting rays of brightest   
white throughout the chamber, even through the shifting dome   
of amber, violet-pink and violet-blue energy. Draco jerked   
forward then, the attack bursting forth as fountains of   
blazing, white-hot power from her eyes and mouth.  
  
"Steady," Kunzite softly intoned, flicking his gaze from the   
construct to look over at Zoisite for a moment. Echoes of a   
long-ago event ran through his mind, of a time when the four   
of them were united in the containment of a dying star; at   
that time, it had been the first major mission of the newly   
appointed Western Commander. The growing energy trapped   
within their dome was similar, though at lesser power levels   
than that, but the Fire Warrior wasn't sure if the memory of   
that would interfere. Then again, Zoisite had matured since   
that time.  
  
Violet-blue eyes remained focused on the shielding; Zoisite   
fought back the sense of *déjà vu* that threatened to   
disrupt her equilibrium. This was almost like that other   
time... *No, this is different. I *can* do this...* she   
told herself even as the Senshi's turbulent energy slammed   
against the shifting dome being projected by the three   
Gemlords. Sensing Jadeite and then Kunzite shoring up their   
parts of the matrix, the Western Commander poured more power   
into the dome.  
  
Garnet closed his eyes, shielding them from the white   
brilliance that filled the sacred chamber there in the heart   
of Io Castle. Even so, the afterimage of the warrioress's   
star-like attack danced behind his eyelids. Holding steady   
on the sleeper, he was gratified to feel the raven-haired   
girl finally go limp in his grasp. His forearm stung just a   
bit, but it was a small price to pay. Besides, he needed   
*something* to assuage his guilt at having to take the   
Terran prisoner.  
  
The star-core heat and light faded away, the illumination   
levels in the green-marble chamber falling back to normal.   
Draco glanced around herself -- and saw that the energy dome   
had held. Eyes back to their antique-gold hue opened wide   
as she realized that her attack hadn't worked. A feeling a   
true hopelessness momentary settled in her heart as she   
turned her gaze to the tall, silver-haired man that seemed   
to be in charge of the trio.  
  
Kunzite was calm, unruffled... as icy as ever. A corner of   
his mouth quirked up in a half-smile as he noticed the   
Dragon Senshi staring at him through the dome. A swift,   
telepathed command, and the three members of the Elemental   
Guard of Lithos spoke as one, their hands simultaneously   
executing the same gesture.  
  
"Elemental Energy Shrink."  
  
The half-sphere of swirling energy started to collapse in on   
itself. Under the direction of the trio of the Elemental   
Guard, its margins grew rapidly smaller, the space within it   
shrinking. Throwing her arms out to either side and feeling   
both pairs of silvery blades only scrape ineffectively   
against the surface closing in on her, Draco turned her   
hands and pressed her gloved palms up against the   
solid-seeming wall of light. Bowing her head and putting   
all her formidable strength -- a strength born from her   
dense muscular structure adapted by the millennia of   
evolution of her species to a world with a much higher   
gravity field than that of Terra -- into an attempt to keep   
that dome from collapsing in and crushing her, the redheaded   
Senshi groaned in effort.  
  
For just a moment, she thought she might have actually   
stopped the movement of the energy sphere. Though her   
muscles were quivering with the strain, she felt a hot flash   
of triumph at that. Then the energy shifted subtly -- more   
than likely at the behest of the former generals controlling   
it -- and the resulting pressure was too much for her to   
hold back any longer. An agonized cry of loss and   
desperation burst forth from her as the futility of it all   
sank in. There was nothing she could do, no way she could   
get out of this and rejoin her beloved Nephrite.  
  
*Nephrite, I'm sorry... I don't want to leave you...* Those   
were the Dragon Senshi's final thoughts before the pressure   
from the power encasing her constricted her into   
unconsciousness, a mental image of the gorgeous, green-eyed   
and auburn-haired man vividly there in her mind as she   
finally passed out from the lack of oxygen reaching her   
system.  
  
Certain that the girl he'd subdued would be out for a while,   
Garnet eased up on his hold. Supporting the priestess's   
dead weight against his muscular form, the redheaded spy   
scooped the teenager up into his arms almost as if she was   
as light as a feather. He shot a quick glance of his violet   
eyes to Adamant, noting that the other had the   
emerald-dressed brunette in his arms. Then he looked over   
at where the Elemental Guard stood in a triangle around the   
glowing energy field trapping the mercenary that had once   
been in Nephrite's Negaverse forces. It was well-executed,   
efficiently done. And he hated every second of it.  
  
"She's out of it, sir," Zoisite finally pronounced, her   
sensitive empathy picking up the final flash of emotion   
before the nothingness characteristic of a loss of   
consciousness swept over her senses.  
  
"Confirmed," Jadeite seconded, his telepathy giving him a   
reading consistent with a state of unconsciousness.  
  
"Very well then," Kunzite acknowledged, "dismiss the energy   
and let's take her home."  
  
The other two nodded, each one making a cutting gesture with   
a hand. Doing so as well, the Fire Warrior watched   
impassively as the matrix dissolved, the glowing field   
dissipating and leaving behind the crumpled body of the   
gold-caped warrioress lying there on the stone floor of the   
castle's chamber. A quick scan of the room with his   
pale-lavender gaze, and he allowed himself just a bit of a   
smile. Their objectives had been achieved, and efficiently   
so. While the pair of Elementals stood there and watched,   
Kunzite stepped up to the fallen Senshi and held a hand over   
her, levitating her from off the floor. The moment Draco's   
body was up about chest-high to him, the silver-haired   
Southern Commander closed his eyes and bowed his head, his   
violet-pink aura flaring around both himself and the   
floating woman. Three words formed in his mind, the mental   
command to teleport back through the Mirror to the Tower   
beyond it. With a flash of the rosy light, Gemlord and   
Senshi were gone.  
  
The remaining Lithosians followed suit, the various energy   
fields of their teleporting manifesting around them as they   
returned home, taking with them the princess of Jupiter and   
the Shinto priestess. In the chamber now undisturbed again,   
the Sacred Oak remained vibrant and healthy, the stone   
lining the chamber as full of polish and the sense of   
green-hued energy as before.  
  
***************************  
  
"Well done," the Guardian of Space said, his rich baritone   
voice sounding quite pleased. Stepping back, he looked over   
the sight in satisfaction.  
  
Six chairs had been taken from the various sitting areas set   
up within the confines of the large, circular Hall of the   
Mirror and lined up near the table that contained the   
open-air grave of the remaining Gemlords. Oddly enough, it   
seemed as if he had arranged them in such a way as to   
prepare for an audience; the chairs had a perfect,   
unobstructed view of the center of the Zodiac carpet there   
in the middle of the chamber.  
  
Four of those seats were now filled, the unconscious forms   
of two women and two girls perched there. From left to   
right, Adamant recognized them as the girl he had menaced in   
the temple, the Shinto priestess, the Jovian princess and   
finally Sailor Draco. The remaining two chairs -- both   
mahogany ones upholstered in green velvet -- were the two on   
the end closest to the low table on which the soulstones   
rested.  
  
Sable eyes flicking back to the blond with the two   
bun-topped ponytails, Adamant murmured, "Had I known you   
wanted her, I would have brought her, my lord."  
  
"You were already gone when I changed my mind, Lord   
Adamant," Obsidian replied. "She was still unconscious when   
I teleported there, though Prince Endymion had begun to   
recover." The Guardian of Space softly chuckled. "I must   
admit, it gave me a sense of pleasure to blast the Terran   
prince to keep him from interfering."  
  
*Prince Endymion?* the raven-haired Gemlord thought in   
wonderment. The tuxedo-clad man had been the Terran prince?   
Consternation came next, as Adamant realized how lucky he   
had been in taking the strangely-dressed man so easily.   
Even among the Lithosians, the black-haired prince had had   
the reputation of a warrior of surpassing skill.  
  
That chuckle put the hairs on the back of Garnet's head on   
edge, a chill going down his spine. Standing there in the   
background with the three members of the Elemental Guard as   
their ruler stood before the lined-up chairs and spoke to   
the other dark-haired Gemlord, the young spy shot the   
ponytailed blond a sharp look.  
  
While Jadeite frowned thoughtfully and Kunzite stared at the   
Guardian of Space, his pale-lavender eyes narrowing   
imperceptively, Zoisite looked to her right, meeting her   
brother's gaze. Paling slightly, she shook her head just a   
bit. Even if Garnet was right and there was something wrong   
with this entire situation, none of them were truly in the   
position to challenge their ruler. Besides, if this was the   
only way to right what had been torn asunder...   
  
Adamant's consternation deepened with the realization that   
the other man actually *enjoyed* pitting his formidable   
weaponry against a foe that, by all determination, wasn't   
ready to defend himself. Lord Obsidian was usually a more   
honorable man.  
  
"So what are you going to do with them, *sir*?" Garnet   
asked, his voice sounding both sullen and cold.  
  
Obsidian turned, his gold-trimmed, ebony cape flaring out   
gently as he did so. Meeting the younger Gemlord's   
seething, violet stare, the dark lord gave the man a   
chilling smile. "At the moment, nothing. I'm going to keep   
them telekinetically bound to those chairs until I have the   
other two Senshi."  
  
"And after that?" the redheaded spy queried.  
  
"You'll see," the Lord of Lithos curtly replied. Turning   
back to face the raven-haired warrior, he held out a hand.   
"I believe you have the gem, Lord Adamant?"  
  
As Garnet bit back anything else he had in mind to say, not   
willing to repeat his earlier mistake, the trio of   
Elementals looked to one another; though the older ones'   
expressions were unreadable, it was easy to see that Zoisite   
was bothered by the developing situation. At least she had   
the brains to see that the ends didn't justify the means.   
That made Garnet feel just a tiny bit better.  
  
"Right here, my lord," the dark-clad warrior responded,   
pulling the deep green stone from the pocket of his black   
pants. Without hesitation, he dropped the Emerald of   
Forests into the older man's hand.  
  
"Good. Now only the Amber of Winds remains," Obsidian   
murmured to himself, holding up the darkly-glittering jewel   
and admiring the play of light within the deep green stone.   
"Soon... So soon..." Lowering his deep-brown eyes, he swept   
his gaze over the Gemlords standing there. "Go!"  
  
Kunzite blinked at the harshness of the order, lowering his   
arms to his sides. "My lord?" he questioned, not sure what   
it was their ruler wanted. Around him, the other Lithosians   
all glanced to one another.  
  
"Go to Magellan Castle and get the Amber, get the remaining   
Senshi and get Nephrite," the Guardian of Space elaborated,   
dark eyes narrowing. "Work together as you did before. You   
know what I want. I expect it to be done. Now *go*."  
  
None of them wanted to question him further, not with that   
tone in his rich baritone voice. Even as he turned to head   
for the reflective surface of the Mirror, Garnet shot   
Adamant a look that practically shouted "I told you so."  
  
What bothered the raven-haired Gemlord the most was that it   
looked like the young spy was right after all. Still, it   
didn't excuse his methods from earlier. No, he had no place   
publicly questioning the authority of his ruler. And at the   
moment, they had another mission to carry out. Misgiving in   
his heart, Adamant walked toward the Mirror, his tall form   
between the redheaded spy and the Elemental Guard.  
  
***************************  
  
Jade-green eyes remained focused on the shifting,   
glimmering, faintly glowing statue in the center of the   
chamber. The sculpture was one of the most fascinating   
things Nephrite had ever seen, an ever-changing, kinetic   
structure that looked like molten gold and flowed as   
elegantly as quicksilver. Even more interestingly, it   
shifted between being an amorphous blob to geometric designs   
that were both simple and complex in design, freezing there   
in that seemingly solid pattern for a moment before undoing   
the beauty it had created to restructure itself into   
another.  
  
He had continued to watch the fascinating structure,   
ignoring the rest of the faintly glowing chamber lined with   
highly-polished, orange-streaked yellow marble, while the   
beautiful and graceful Princess Venus had walked toward the   
object. Perched upon a circular base of what looked to be   
solid gold, at the top of a three-stepped dais that was   
equally round in shape, the Mystic Sculpture dominated the   
otherwise empty and bare chamber.  
  
And though it had come close to repeating certain patterns   
in those moments it stopped in a solid form, the Earth   
Warrior could see that no two sculptures were precisely   
alike, no matter their similarities. In many ways, the   
Mystic Sculpture reminded him of the dance of the stars and   
the music of the spheres, but this had more of a fluid   
pattern set in the possibilities of probability rather than   
a structured, always repeating sequence.  
  
While Nephrite had taken a watchful stance there near the   
still-open double, copper-gilt doors, his back to the   
dust-covered, low-lit corridor that ran to this, the   
innermost chamber of Magellan Castle, Amy had walked forward   
in the wake of the blond princess until they had reached a   
point about halfway between the impressive entryway and the   
fluid, glimmering Statue. At that point, the blue-haired   
genius had come to a halt, her sapphire eyes wide in   
interested awe while Princess Venus had continued on alone.  
  
It was utterly fascinating, this yellow-marble,   
essentially-bare chamber that housed the ever-mobile Statue   
and seemed to be filled with a swirling energy that almost   
tinted the very air with a pale golden light. In many ways,   
this chamber felt much like the one that now sat cold and   
lifeless back in her home castle. That thought dampened   
Amy's mood, reminding her of all that was lost, the Fountain   
of Mercury no longer dancing with the humid energy of her   
planetary patron. Even so, there was hope. Nephrite,   
seemingly truly reformed from his previous ways, was waiting   
there to help her restore both Fountain and focus.  
  
But first they needed to recover the Amber of Winds from the   
Sculpture.  
  
Her graceful, feminine form clad in a long gown of   
gold-colored satin that shimmered in flattering ways, the   
skirt slit to allow an ease of movement, the bodice   
sleeveless and the neckline one that tastefully showed off   
her cleavage, the Venusian princess was a vision of golden   
loveliness. Her sunshine-blond hair swept up in an intricate   
style atop her head, glimmering little jewels of amber and   
yellow topaz accenting her look in her silky mane, at her   
neck, her ears, wrists and waist in golden pieces of   
jewelry, Princess Venus looked just as she had those   
long-past days when the four Elementals were given the task   
to keep the Senshi busy.  
  
It was a sight that left both Nephrite and Amy feeling   
bittersweet, this glimpse into a long ago that had come to a   
crashing halt.  
  
The liquid gold flowed around her hand, the Statue   
continuing its endless expression of Beauty around its   
Senshi's presence within it, the feel against her skin one   
that was an energetic tingle as much as it was a warm silken   
softness. Her fingertips brushing against something hard   
and inert in the center of that flowing mass, Princess Venus   
stretched forward, her other hand tightening its grip on her   
gold and orange transformation pen. She wrapped her digits   
around that unyielding lump, pulling back and taking a step   
backwards down the first small stair of the round dais.  
  
Turning and walking down the next couple of levels, her   
golden sandals making faint steps that echoed slightly in   
the power-charged hush, the blond woman made her way over to   
her waiting friend, a bright smile on her beautiful face.   
For just a moment, the fun-loving Terran girl the princess   
had become broke through her royal demeanor; giving Amy a   
patented Mina-style wink, the young woman held up the   
glimmering Amber for both the blue-haired teenager and the   
waiting Gemlord a glimpse at the stone. A deep   
golden-yellow hue, the interior of the tone glimmered with   
the swirl of restless energy associated with its Element.  
  
"Impressive," Amy softly said, her voice a nearly breathless   
whisper. Looking it over, it seemed to be a flawless   
example of its type, though intellectually she had to wonder   
why the condensation of the Air Element took the form of   
petrified tree sap. Then again, most things mystic in   
nature ignored the laws and theorems of science.  
  
"Yes, it is," Princess Venus replied, gesturing for her   
friend to join her in returning to where the auburn-haired   
man stood watching near the copper-covered, double doors.   
"Now, let's go fix your Fountain, Amy."  
  
The moment the two females returned to his side, Nephrite   
held out a hand. "It's probably best if you let me hang   
onto the gem," he suggested, "Lord Obsidian and the others   
are my people. From what I understand, his interest only   
lies in the Amber."  
  
Reluctantly nodding -- a part of her still wasn't entirely   
willing to trust someone who had not only been a Negaverse   
general but had actively participated in the downfall of the   
Silver Millennium as well had ties to the ones wanting the   
jewel in the first place -- the Venusian princess dropped   
the Amber into Nephrite's waiting hand. "Just don't make me   
sorry about being willing to trust you," she warned, her   
normally pleasantly cheerful voice taking on a hard tone.  
  
Dark-fire highlights glimmered in the Earth Warrior's dark   
auburn mane as he nodded his head in acknowledgment. "I   
realize that no amount of telling you I'm sorry for my past   
mistakes can completely erase the mistrust I've earned. I   
can only hope that my actions can speak loud enough for me,   
Your Highness." Softly sighing, Nephrite curled his fingers   
around the golden-yellow stone, then slipped it into an   
interior pocket of his emerald-trimmed, ebony-hued jacket.  
  
"We'll see, Commander Nephrite of Lithos," the young woman   
replied. Giving the black-clad man a stern look for a   
moment, Princess Venus then turned her attention to her   
blue-haired friend.  
  
Just like that, he could sense them, their distinctive auras   
moving through that odd not-space between realities. Two of   
them were expected, a third was acknowledged with a   
bittersweet feeling, and two more were a complete surprise.   
Stepping closer to his two feminine companions, the press of   
his body against them giving him what contact he needed in   
case he was forced to yank them out of there through his   
teleportation, Nephrite hissed out a warning. "Look out!   
They're coming!"  
  
"Who?" Princess Venus asked, twisting enough to swiftly look   
back at the ebony-clad man standing up against her   
yellow-clad form, her blue eyes wide in startlement.  
  
That question was swiftly answered by the four distinctive   
auras that suddenly surrounding the trio. The   
manifestations faded, leaving Nephrite, Amy and Princess   
Venus staring at five grim-looking people -- four men and a   
single woman -- surrounding them in a loose circle.  
  
Even as they took up positions around their prey, the   
quintet of Gemlords could sense with whom they were dealing.   
The Earth Elemental was there, his emerald-hued aura hard to   
miss, while the golden power of the planet of Venus   
glimmered next to him. The third presence was weak, hardly   
of any consequence, though the five knew better than that.  
  
The moment he was once more solidly back into physical   
reality, Adamant called his gemstone staff into existence.   
Of the ones there, the Northern Commander would be the   
largest threat; a part of the very thing that defined the   
center of Lithosian society, Nephrite would truly be a   
formidable opponent. Preparing to spring in an action   
calculated to make this confrontation as swift as possible,   
the raven-haired Gemlord found himself suddenly looking at   
Kunzite's arm, the Fire Warrior's mental touch brushing   
against his awareness.  
  
A conference at the speed of thought, and Adamant relaxed,   
his stone staff held in both hands in a posture of watchful   
wariness. The Southern Commander had asked for a chance to   
talk Nephrite into joining them, giving the younger Gemlord   
the sense that it was a point of honor. Understanding,   
Adamant had agreed.  
  
Body still touching the two females, his mind poised to make   
the leap from here to the relative safety of his mansion,   
Nephrite took a moment to look at the familiar forms   
confronting him. He could sense them all, though the ones   
he could actually see without turning around were Kunzite,   
Adamant and Jadeite. Perhaps it was just as well that his   
emerald gaze didn't land upon the slender Water Elemental.   
On his forehead, he felt a slight warmth from his circlet;   
the emerald must have been reacting to the others, just as   
he could see the diamond and the circle glyphs glowing in   
the heart of the gems of Kunzite and Jadeite's circlets.   
Even so, Nephrite felt... detached, not a part of the   
delicate web of mental and spiritual bonds that had tied him   
to the others of the Cornerstone Binding.  
  
Another quick exchange of thought, the sense of the Northern   
Commander being there but not a part of the Binding   
unexpected and commented upon. Zoisite's own thoughts   
mirrored Kunzite's surprise at seeing Nephrite full-grown,   
in full control of his Gemlord powers and clad in the ebony   
uniform of the Elemental Guard. However, their mission was   
clear enough.  
  
"We need the stone, Nephrite. And we need you," Kunzite   
said, pale-lavender eyes remaining focused on the   
auburn-haired man. True, he had noticed the golden-haired   
beauty there next to the other Gemlord, a woman for whom   
he'd once felt a warm affection, but now wasn't the time to   
dwell upon that.  
  
Azure eyes wide, Princess Venus looked from Nephrite to the   
silver-haired man that had spoken. She remembered him now,   
from those long-ago parties and quiet moments, those   
romantic interludes and just how well she thought they went   
together, him with his pale hair and white uniform and she   
with her blond hair and affinity for golden-colored   
clothing. Remembered now the bitter heartache at seeing him   
and the other three fighting with the enemy as the Moon   
Kingdom crumbled around them, feelings that became mixed   
with more recent memories of him, cold and aloof, continuing   
to be a general of the enemy forces as she fought against   
him in the here and now as Sailor Venus. Her beautiful face   
taking on an angry expression, she narrowed her eyes as the   
hand that still held her transformation pen began to rise.  
  
Ever watchful, the raven-haired Gemlord noticed the change   
in the Venusian princess's stance. A mental whisper and the   
top two feet of his adamant staff flared to life, a low hum   
sounding in the hushed stillness of the chamber of the   
Mystic Statue as stone was converted to a beam of   
concentrated black energy. In a movement almost as fast and   
fluid as thought, Adamant pointed the force-imbued weapon a   
scant distance from the joint of neck and shoulder. "If I   
were you, I'd not do anything at all, Your Highness."  
  
As Amy glanced around at the five surrounding them, her   
quick mind trying to think of various possible avenues of   
escape that would result in a less-than-sure risk of being   
killed, Nephrite's only reaction was to give Adamant a cool   
stare before turning his attention back to Kunzite. "Just   
what's going on? Why are the stone and I needed?"  
  
"Lord Obsidian wishes to restore our planet and our people,"   
Jadeite replied, low voice supplying the answer.  
  
"And we *can't* do it without you," added the Western   
Commander, her usually strident voice soft. It was obvious   
that she was on edge, slightly nervous.  
  
"Odd way of showing that, dear Zoisite," Nephrite remarked,   
his emerald eyes remaining focused on the lavender-clad form   
of the commander of the Elemental Guard. "After all, you   
could have killed me with that  
poke of your sword."  
  
"I wasn't aiming for you," the female Gemlord said, jumping   
swiftly to defend herself. "You got in the way."  
  
Next to her, Garnet reached out and laid a hand on her   
shoulder. Now wasn't the time to hash this out, not if it   
meant another argument between the two. Concentrating his   
thoughts, the redheaded spy mentally reached out to the   
black-clad warrior, his mind's voice meant only for Nephrite   
and the other Lithosians. **Commander, there's something   
very odd going on with Lord Obsidian. I'm beginning to get   
very worried.**  
  
He turned then, a puzzled expression on his face, fixing the   
younger man with his emerald gaze. **What do you mean,   
*wrong*?**  
  
**He's captured the Senshi, including Sailor Draco,** Garnet   
replied. From his nightmarish exile in the Negaverse,   
watching the Elemental Guard become twisted caricatures of   
themselves, he knew how much the fiery redhead had meant to   
the Northern Commander at one time. **He's holding them   
prisoner in the Hall itself.**  
  
**What?** Nephrite blinked, turning again to glance at   
Kunzite.  
  
The Fire Elemental gravely nodded. **There is a distance   
within him I've not sensed the like before. He seems...   
rushed, driven to complete this...**  
  
**We have lost a thousand years to Chaos,** Adamant replied,   
low voice cutting through the others' thoughts. **More than   
anyone, our lord is well aware of the amount of damage Chaos   
can wreak upon the Cosmos in even that short of a time.**  
  
**Excuse me, Lord Adamant, but I don't see that as an excuse   
for what he's doing,** Garnet shot back, an irritated light   
shining in his violet eyes.  
  
"Nephrite?" Amy tentatively began, sapphire gaze flitting   
from one imposing Gemlord to another as she looked over the   
people surrounding them, "what exactly is going on?"  
  
"We're discussing something," the auburn-haired man softly   
said, his voice taking on a reassuring tone.  
  
**We're immortals, Adamant,** the redheaded spy stated,   
countering the older Gemlord's words. **No matter how   
screwed up things get by Chaos, we have the time and the   
opportunity to fix it, but only if we plan well. Don't get   
me wrong; it'll be great seeing our world back and everyone   
alive again, but something this important shouldn't be   
rushed.**  
  
**I must admit, I am slightly bothered by the compressed   
timeframe our lord wishes us to meet,** Jadeite said, his   
expression thoughtful. **Normally, I would be willing to   
take his word that all we need are these gemstones and   
ourselves, but...**  
  
**Something is missing,** Kunzite finished. **And so we   
either trust his word--**  
  
**Or we figure something's wrong and fix it first,** Garnet   
cut in.  
  
**I'm willing to return to Lord Obsidian and hand over the   
Amber of Winds to him,** the auburn-haired Gemlord began,   
jade-green gaze shifting from Kunzite to Adamant and then   
finally settling on the blond-haired Air Warrior. "But only   
on the condition that you allow Princess Venus and the   
Terran girl their freedom back on Terra," Nephrite added,   
shifting to verbal speech so that the two females in   
question would know what was being planned for them.  
  
"We can't do that, Nephrite," Kunzite softly responded, his   
expression one that was cool and unyielding.  
  
"We have to drag them along," Garnet spat, his very tone   
betraying his disgust at the entire thing. "That's part of   
what's *wrong*."  
  
"*What*? But before--"  
  
Jadeite shook his head emphatically, his low voice cutting   
through the Northern Commander's words of astonished   
outrage. "He's changed his mind. He wants them all."  
  
"What for?" Princess Venus snapped, her azure gaze switching   
from staring at the glowing weapon of dark energy that   
hovered far too close to her neck for comfort to glaring at   
the blond Air Warrior.  
  
"Shut up, Venus," Zoisite growled, violet-blue eyes blazing   
in irritation. Despite suddenly getting a withering look   
from her brother, the slender Water Warrior kept her   
attention on the golden-gowned princess. "Lord Obsidian   
wants you and that's all you need to know."  
  
**Dammit, 'Zo! Behave!** the redheaded spy telepathed, his   
projection a tightly focused one, meant only for his   
sibling.  
  
While Garnet continued to glare at the blue-clad Gemlord   
woman and Zoisite paled slightly at her brother's mental   
reprimand, Kunzite gave the Venusian royal a faintly   
apologetic expression. "We don't know. We only know that   
you must be returned to the Tower, with Nephrite and the   
Amber."  
  
"If you think I'm going--" Venus began, only to feel her   
friend's hand on her shoulder, Amy giving the other girl a   
slight squeeze as a gesture of warning.  
  
"There's nothing we can do," the blue-haired genius quietly   
stated. "At best, we can just pretend to be prisoners and   
hope for an opportunity to escape."  
  
"What did he do with the others, with Draco?" Nephrite   
asked, his voice a low growl.  
  
"Last we saw, they were all unconscious and being held in   
chairs by Lord Obsidian's telekinesis," Garnet replied,   
still sounding quite disgusted though he did turn his violet   
gaze from his sibling's willowy form to look at the tall   
Northern Commander.  
  
"As for what he plans on doing with them, that is something   
still unknown," Adamant responded, his sable eyes remaining   
trained on the princess who was stubbornly holding onto her   
transformation pen.  
  
"He said we'd see, when we asked him," Zoisite added. "I   
think it might have something to do with energy. The Mirror   
itself seems sluggish where it's at."  
  
"He's already sucked Sailor Andromeda dry," the redheaded   
spy growled, feeling slightly ill at the memory. "Though he   
did sent Ametrine out to drop the senshi off at her   
homeworld afterwards."  
  
"If you think I'm just going to let--" Princess Venus   
started again, her expression furious.  
  
"Your Highness, it would be a favor to us all if you would   
keep your opinions to yourself," the raven-haired warrior   
calmly stated, bringing his energized adamant staff closer   
to her neck.  
  
Feeling the slight heat of the weapon and hearing the buzz   
of its potentially lethal energy, the blond Venusian royal   
pressed her lips together, falling silent.  
  
"So apparently he's only interested in their energy?"   
Nephrite asked, glancing down at the two females pressed   
against his athletic form.  
  
"Yes," Jadeite confirmed. "He *did* order Andromeda   
released."  
  
"Return with us, Nephrite," Kunzite quietly said, pale   
lavender eyes focused on the black-uniformed Gemlord. "We   
are not whole without you. Nor may we set things right   
without your power."  
  
The auburn-haired man sighed, then nodded. Duty called;   
though he could sense he was somehow separate from the   
delicate web of psychic ties now, he was *still* the Earth   
Warrior. And the lack of those ties left him feeling less   
than whole, he realized. Something truly seemed wrong with   
the Guardian of Space; perhaps by the very nature of what he   
was, Nephrite could help stabilize the situation.   
Everything that he had heard so far pointed to Obsidian   
working in desperation for a noble goal. Were he in the   
other's place, he probably would be doing much the same,   
distasteful as those actions may be. Glancing down at the   
two females again, Nephrite put a hand on each of their   
shoulders. "Obsidian Mirror Return," the Northern Commander   
intoned aloud, giving the other Gemlords there his response.   
Silvery-green starlight swirled around the three forms as   
Nephrite willingly returned to the Hall of the Mirror... and   
to Lord Obsidian.  
  
The others followed behind, their various teleportational   
auras manifesting then fading away, leaving the Mystic   
Statue to continue its infinite expressions of beauty in   
abandoned silence. 


	12. Heartlight

HEARTLIGHT   
  
  
Silence reigned in the stillness of the round chamber,   
though a single figure moved, pacing across the floor. His   
breathing was quiet-a habit that; breathing was not a   
necessary component to his continued existence, but rather   
was used to better blend in with mortal species as well as   
to power speech. His booted feet muffled by the thick pile   
of the Zodiac-decorated carpet, Lord Obsidian continued   
walking in the set pattern subconsciously adopted as he   
thought over a number of things.  
  
*So close...* That alone was the idea that clawed at him the   
most, the one that imposed itself on his awareness over   
everything else. He had every confidence that those he sent   
would return home successful; the end was truly in sight.  
  
*A thousand years... Far too much time for Chaos to spread.   
No guarantee that other safeguards held, that others could   
keep Chaos from sinking its talons further into the fabric   
of things. Even restoring what was lost, it may be years   
yet before things are back to how they once were.*  
  
He paused, cape settling gently around him as he turned and   
glanced at the smooth, black stone wall where one of the   
windows had once been. He knew what was out there, that   
blasted and lifeless ground that had once been his prized   
garden, knew that what passed for a sky was only a   
quarter-mile above the roof of the Tower. The deep   
melancholy that seemed to color everything since settling on   
a course of action clung to him as memories of how Lithos   
used to be flickered through his mind.  
  
Green forests and emerald fields, the dimmed light from the   
distant sun giving everything a warm, diffuse illumination   
by day and the shining points of the stars dappling the   
night sky, the ever-present silvery ribbon of the Swift   
River rushing past the western, unwalled edge of the City,   
the sounds of conversation in all its forms and of languages   
of all sorts, the occasional incursion of a magic-wielding   
wild beast dealt with efficiently by the City Guard... All   
this and more is what *should* have been there beyond the   
obsidian walls, but no longer was. The City had been a   
thriving community, a prestigious place where individuals   
from the self-aware species of the Cosmos were educated in   
all manners of studies by Gemlords who held lifetimes of   
experiences. From artists, to scientists, to military   
cadets, and all other manner of jobs and pursuits, the best   
and brightest of offworld natives were given the benefit of   
the combined knowledge of those who had stepped from the   
Vortex Mirror. For their part, the Gemlords promoted the   
preservation of the Balance of the Cosmos through both their   
teaching and their offworld missions. Now it was all ashes,   
the work of millennia undone...  
  
Dark brown eyes as dark as night narrowed, the melancholy   
giving way to a hot flare of rage. *It shall be that way   
again,* he vehemently told himself. *Like the legendary   
phoenix, Lithos and my people shall rise from the ashes...*   
He was the Guardian of Space. He would not be so easily   
beaten by the forces of Chaos. He'd show them all,   
beginning with the Senshi that had abandoned his people to   
their fate.  
  
*The Senshi...* Turning to the right, the dark lord gazed at   
each of the figures held securely to the chairs he'd   
arranged. It took little effort and energy to keep them   
under control, both telekinetically -- manifesting as   
invisible chains that wrapped around their forms and   
fastened them to their seat -- and telepathically, his will   
dominating them, keeping them from regaining consciousness.   
Even so, it was a drain on his limited energy to keep them   
under control in such a manner, and he needed that energy   
for other matters. It was a drain that would be more than   
made up for by what he could take from them. A cold smile   
crossed his lips as he thought about the as-yet-untapped   
power awaiting him there, energy derived from the planets   
each Senshi represented.  
  
His gaze finally settled on the redheaded warrioress there   
in the middle of the row of chairs, and that unnerving smile   
gave way to an expression of frigid rage. Crossing the   
distance between them, Obsidian came to a stop before the   
Dragon Senshi, taking in the details of her costume with a   
long, lingering stare. Starting with her dark green boots,   
continuing on up her black bodysuit, over the golden   
pauldrons and ivory-fanged brooches holding the gold cape in   
place, and finally coming to rest on her circlet-adorned   
forehead, the Guardian of Space glared at the   
still-unconscious woman. While the other Senshi were guilty   
of abandoning his people to their fate, *this* one had   
committed a crime far worse; she had *dared* to attack the   
Western Commander, had dared to seriously injure *his* Water   
Warrior, the youngest of *his* people, and had dared to do   
the same to *his* Fire Warrior as well. To strike out at   
them was essentially to strike out at himself. No matter   
who the hell she was, he would not let such actions go   
without consequences.  
  
But before he dealt with that, he would at least make the   
nuisance something useful.  
  
A cruel little smile curled up the corners of his mouth as   
he stalked towards the still-helpless redhead. Standing   
before her, he gazed down at her unmoving form, an   
expression of contempt on his face, mind registering the   
details of her costume.  
  
To the right, next to the black stone throne, the surface of   
the Vortex Mirror rippled and then flowed around the   
emerging twin forms that stepped through it. Nearly   
identical forms, one crowned with flowing violet hair and   
the other topped by a short mane of golden locks, came to a   
halt before the Mirror as Ametrine looked over the contents   
of the round chamber. Spying their ruler standing nearby,   
both the lord and the lady blinked in surprise at the sight   
that greeted them. Six chairs lined up near the table   
covered with the sad remains of the other Gemlords, all but   
two empty, the others having a still, female form sitting   
upon them. "My lord?" Lord Ametrine called out, Lady   
Ametrine looking about the Hall for any sign of the other   
Lithosians.  
  
"Sailor Andromeda was returned safely to her homeworld, I   
take it?" the Guardian of Space asked, tearing his gaze away   
from the captive woman.  
  
"Of course, sir," the male half of the dual Gemlord replied,   
the feminine part frowning in slight puzzlement. Of the   
others, there was no trace; not even their auras indicated   
that they were in attendance elsewhere within the Tower.  
  
"We left her lying on the ground in a forested park on the   
outskirts of their imperial capital," Lady Ametrine added,   
both halves reflecting the disappointment in not having the   
dashing Air Warrior around.  
  
"Good." Obsidian regarded the twin bodies of the Gemlord   
there for a long moment. Turning his gaze back to the   
unconscious Senshi, he lightly tapped a fingertip against   
his lips. "I have something more for you to do, Lord and   
Lady Ametrine..."  
  
"What might that be, my lord?" the violet-haired female   
queried, her amber eyes scanning over the odd-looking   
arrangement before the dark-clad ruler. Something about the   
entire setup bothered Ametrine -- why would Obsidian have   
those females sitting there like that, all of them obviously   
insensate at the moment -- but they didn't have the courage   
to come right out and ask the Guardian of Space what was   
going on.  
  
"Travel to Phobos Deimos Castle and restore the Sacred Flame   
of Mars," Obsidian replied, once more turning his dark brown   
gaze back to the dual Lithosian.  
  
"Did you say 'restore'?" Ametrine echoed, both halves   
speaking in sync, startled by the request. From what they   
knew, the Lord of Lithos had gone to quite a bit of trouble   
to disrupt those planetary foci in the first place, though   
he had reassured them -- and the other Gemlords -- that such   
disruption was a temporary thing. Perhaps they had reached   
a point where that particular necessity was no longer   
needed?  
  
"I did indeed," the dark-clad lord responded, the deep red   
highlights of his nearly black hair shimmering as he nodded   
in affirmation. "Following that, I wish you to remain in   
Phobos Deimos Castle until my call, after which you shall   
travel to Mariner Castle and restore the Blessed Fountain of   
Mercury."  
  
Ametrine's hearts leapt in joy at the news. So it truly was   
a temporary thing, and now the time had come to set things   
back to how they should be. Truth be told, the young   
Lithosian had been bothered by the tampering with the   
planetary foci, and this made them feel better. "Gladly,   
sir," the lady acknowledged, a brilliant smile crossing her   
face.  
  
"But sir, don't we need the princesses to get into the   
chambers?" the lord asked, looking perplexed, recalling the   
narrative of events given them soon after their   
resurrection.  
  
Obsidian shook his head in the negative, the golden circlet   
underneath his dark bangs catching the light of the   
illumination crystals. "No. With the foci disrupted, the   
chambers stand unsecured. You shall be able to teleport   
into them with little effort once I provide you with the   
mental image to follow."  
  
"I see," Lord Ametrine responded, a smile crossing his   
youthful face as well, relief alighting his amethystine-hued   
eyes. "It shall then be our pleasure to do so, my lord."  
  
"Good. Now open your mind so that I may give you the visual   
you require," the Guardian of Space gently commanded.   
Sensing the young Gemlord dropping their mental shielding,   
he proceeded to transfer to them what each of the chambers   
looked like and where they could be found from his memory.   
Once that was accomplished, he kept the mental contact open   
for a moment longer, giving them the knowledge they would   
need to undo the tampering each focus had suffered at the   
hands of the Elementals. **Do you think you have it,   
Ametrine?**  
  
**Yes, my lord,** the single mind housed within twin forms   
answered, their psychic presence registering on Obsidian's   
senses as a shimmering star half violet and half golden   
yellow.  
  
**Very well. You have your orders,** he said, shutting the   
telepathic link between them. He then gestured toward the   
Mirror near which the lord and the lady were standing, a   
movement indicative of dismissal.  
  
Moving as one, their dual forms synchronized perfectly,   
Ametrine bowed their heads and brought their right arms up,   
hands clenched in fists, resting them over their hearts in a   
respectful salute. Then they turned away, stepping back   
toward the eerily reflective surface of the Symbol of Space.   
The Mirror shimmered and rippled once more as the young   
Lithosian departed from the circular chamber.  
  
Good. Obsidian smiled coolly, watching as the   
seven-foot-tall black stone Symbol regained the reflection   
of the Hall on its surface. For what he was about to do, he   
needed the South and the West in balance, and this would   
also give him access to the energy held by the Senshi of   
Mars and Mercury. They were partially responsible for the   
disaster that had overwhelmed Lithos; they would help   
restore that which had been swept away, whether they liked   
it or not.  
  
Glancing back down at the Dragon Senshi, Obsidian reached   
out with a hand and placed it on the crown of her red-haired   
head. Time to get some use out of *this* one. Closing his   
eyes and bowing his head, he reached down into himself to   
the still center waiting there. Feeling the detached   
calmness sweep over him, he then extended his awareness into   
the woman, searching for the fountain of energy that he knew   
must be within her.  
  
She resisted; even unconscious and under the control of a   
psychic will not easily countered, the Senshi somehow   
managed to struggle against the silent invasion. This one   
felt different, somehow, the power within much less than   
would be expected. Perhaps something endemic to her   
species, with its curious mix of mammalian and reptilian   
characteristics and higher metabolism, or perhaps something   
related to how the powers of her planetary patron   
manifested. Either way, the net result was the same:   
Obsidian couldn't find where exactly her Senshi energy lay   
in order to tap into it. Not one to pass an opportunity,   
the Guardian of Space settled on taking what energy he   
could, focusing on that of her own person  
  
It was the least she could do to repay him and the Western   
Commander for the crimes she dared commit.  
  
The power reluctantly came to him, tendrils of golden light   
that clung to her person and twined about itself as he   
pulled it away. Even so, he was the master here, gathering   
up the golden light into a sphere held within him. Unlike   
the energy from Sailor Andromeda, this didn't diffuse   
throughout his form; the glowing ball of power was the best   
compromise, and it would accomplish what he needed. Yanking   
from her the last of her power, he opened his eyes, frowning   
slightly. It figured she didn't give him the pleasure he'd   
experienced in taking energy from the Andromedian warrior;   
this one seemed to be one perversely contrary. *What *does*   
Nephrite see in this one?* he thought, his frown deepening   
while his mind turned to other things revealed from his   
sojourn into her awareness.  
  
She saw the Northern Commander as her own, her love for him   
making her feel as if she had some exclusive claim on him.   
That piece of information was one of the stray things   
Obsidian discovered as he had poked around, searching for   
the connection to her planetary powers, information that   
made him thoroughly irritated. Nephrite belonged to him,   
along with the others of the Elemental Guard, above and   
beyond everything else. That the Earth Warrior was missing   
from the Binding was something that needed to be remedied as   
soon as possible. For millennia, he had allowed them their   
independence and relationships, knowing that such were   
necessary to their well being as individuals, but even then,   
there was the understanding that he and his mission to the   
Cosmos came first above all.  
  
Nephrite loved this one. That too was something very   
evident in what memories he'd touched as he'd scanned her   
being. Though normally that wouldn't be a problem, Obsidian   
knew instantly that Sailor Draco would be a distraction to   
the Earth Warrior. Something had happened, turning Nephrite   
into a human and tearing him from the ancient web of which   
he had been a part, and the Guardian of Space needed the   
Northern Commander to return. They couldn't be whole   
without him. No, he would never let Draco take Nephrite away   
from them. It would be like cutting off an arm and handing   
it to the redheaded warrioress -- and just as unthinkable.  
  
The energy he had gleaned from her wouldn't go far. Another   
irritation, one that rubbed him raw. There she was,   
obviously clothed in her Senshi form, and yet he could not   
sense the power within her that he knew she must have.   
Before he could act further, however, the sensation of a   
number of approaching auras impinged upon his awareness.   
The others were returning, all of them, including the   
emerald presence of the Earth Warrior.  
  
A smile made a corner of his mouth tug up. He had been so   
focused on gathering together the tools for what he needed   
that he had all but ignored the gaping hole left within by   
the absence of the Northern Commander. They could be   
complete now; he'd be willing to forgive Nephrite anything,   
including ignoring his Call, so long as the auburn-haired   
stargazer rejoined the Binding that tied them to one   
another. Eyes as dark as Space itself looked toward the   
flat plane of the Mirror as Obsidian awaited their arrival.  
  
A thrill of emotion washed over Nephrite as he emerged back   
into reality through the familiar gateway of the Vortex   
Mirror, emotion that was hard to qualify as one or another.   
Part of him was joyful beyond all expression to be doing   
this, coming *home* after such a long exile, an exile more   
of the soul than of time. Another part was apprehensive,   
hesitant to face the ruler that meant so much to him and the   
other Lithosians. What would he say to one guilty of both   
the ultimate act of betrayal as well as disobeying a Call to   
return? That he had good reason to ignore the summons did   
little to quell his nervousness.  
  
Feeling the princess and the teenager still pressed against   
his athletic form as he became once more aware of the   
surrounding physical reality, Nephrite swiftly telepathed to   
them both, **Pretend that you are under my control. Perhaps   
I can buy us all some time.**  
  
Though he could sense a hesitant acceptance from Amy and an   
indignant flare of anger from Princess Venus, he smiled as   
the two females took on vacant stares and slack expressions.   
Though he may not be able to keep them completely from   
whatever plans Lord Obsidian may have for them, at least he   
could give them some sort of a chance, should an opportunity   
arise. Gently pushing them forward with the bulk of his   
black-clad body as he stepped forward, Nephrite moved away   
from the Mirror in order to give room for the others   
following him.  
  
Nephrite gazed about the Hall, the stillness within it a   
poignant reminder of the destruction he had helped wrought,   
while the remaining Gemlords emerged from the shimmering   
surface of the Mirror one by one. Jade-green eyes noticed   
the low table; the Northern Commander's face paled slightly   
at seeing that table covered with the dead gray stones of   
their race. The reality of what he had helped bring about   
virtually slapped him in the face, and he wondered if the   
other three of the Elemental Guard felt much the same way   
every time they looked upon that morbid sight.  
  
"Welcome home," Obsidian called out to his Gemlords, a smile   
-- for once a warm one -- on his face, "especially to you,   
Commander Nephrite." The smile betrayed his feelings; he   
was certainly glad to see the auburn-haired man back in the   
Tower where he belonged, though the sight of the Earth   
Warrior in his ebony and emerald uniform put him on edge,   
gave the Guardian of Space a vaguely uneasy feeling. "Do   
you have the Amber?" he asked, dark eyes sweeping over the   
forms of the half-dozen Lithosians there upon the   
three-tired dais.  
  
"I do, sir," Nephrite gently said, slipping a hand into his   
jacket pocket and pulling the stone from where he had placed   
it. Holding it up in a white-gloved hand, the   
deep-golden-hued gem sparkled faintly in the light of the   
illumination crystals.  
  
"Adamant, bring it here to me."  
  
"A moment, sir," Nephrite faintly protested, closing his   
hand into a fist around the stone even as the raven-haired   
Overt Operations Commander stepped up next to him and held   
out a hand.  
  
"What is it, Nephrite?" Obsidian asked, a slight expression   
of annoyance settling on his handsome features.  
  
"I was told that this was needed in order to restore Lithos   
and our people--"  
  
"Yes, that's true," the Guardian of Space snapped. "As is   
your return to the Binding to which you belong. Surely you   
cannot fault me for doing what is necessary to achieve   
this?"  
  
"No, of course not, sir," the Earth Warrior responded,   
shaking his head. His crimes against the Terrans, of   
stealing their energy when they had reached their   
once-in-a-lifetime peak, and his crimes against Princess   
Jupiter, of deceiving her and robbing her of all but her   
most basic powers, paled in comparison to what had befallen   
those who had counted on him to help safeguard the very   
Cosmos from Chaos itself. Gesturing toward the chairs   
occupied by insensate females, he frowned, "But must the   
Senshi be involved?"  
  
"I have no other choice. I merely wish to borrow them long   
enough to have the power needed to work this ritual," the   
dark lord answered, reaching out to once more rest a hand   
atop Sailor Draco's head.  
  
"Surely the Mirror--"  
  
"Cannot gather energy as efficiently as usual here in the   
Vortex itself!" Obsidian shouted, interrupting the other   
man. How *dare* he question what needed to be? "I don't   
like it, but it is *necessary*. Chaos has had enough of a   
head start." How could he not see that he was only doing   
what *must* be done? "The Amber, Nephrite!"  
  
That last was delivered in a tone that made the Northern   
Commander internally wince. Though he was his own man,   
apparently given the free will that was the gift to the   
mortal races of the universe, the habits of millennia   
weighed heavily upon him. Opening his fist, he sighed and   
dropped the stone into Adamant's waiting hand.  
  
Without a word, the tall, raven-haired warrior gripped the   
golden gemstone in his hand, starting down the dais toward   
the ruler of them all. He remained as silent as he stopped   
before Obsidian, holding out the Amber of Winds to him,   
sable gaze staying focused on the Lord of Lithos as the   
other man took the stone from the palm of his outstretched   
hand.  
  
Nephrite gently pushed the two females forwards again, a   
signal for them to precede him to the Zodiac-carpeted floor.   
Both of them still play-acting being under the Gemlord's   
control and internally quivering in nervousness at the   
developing situation, neither Princess Venus nor Amy broke   
character as they seemingly shambled down the three steps.   
Behind them, he could hear Garnet and the remaining   
Elementals descend the stairs as well; Kunzite and Jadeite   
appearing within his field of vision to his left while   
Zoisite and Garnet appeared to the right, the Earth Warrior   
and his "guests" ended up flanked by the others.  
  
Obsidian grinned in elation, holding up the richly hued   
stone, watching the play of golden highlights within its   
depths as he inspected it. At last, he had the keys needed   
to forge the link between Energy and Matter, the bridge he   
and the Elementals required to reform Lithos from its   
shattered remains and reenergize the remaining soulstones of   
his people. "Well done," he murmured, words of praise   
intended for them all.  
  
Now all he needed was to bring the central stone into being.   
But first, he had one piece of unfinished business to which   
he must attend. Lowering his hand, he slipped the Amber   
into a pocket of his dark-colored pants, adding it to the   
other three he had collected. Stepping to the side,   
Obsidian then raised his hand imperiously, pointing towards   
the princess and the Terran standing there dazed before the   
Earth Warrior. Concentrating upon the two females,   
extending his considerable will, a blackish-green aura   
surrounded that hand as he wrapped them both in a   
telekinetic field under his command.  
  
It took all of their will to not start shouting in protest   
as what felt like a giant, invisible hand grabbed them and   
started dragging them toward the line of chairs. Swallowing   
down her fright, Amy closed her sapphire eyes and went with   
the inexorable force, her steps crossing the carpeting in a   
jerky stride. Princess Venus kept her eyes open, however,   
resisting the tug of the dark-haired man's power as best she   
could while maintaining the ruse of being held docile by   
Nephrite's mental control. Deep inside, the sunshine-blond   
royal resented her current treatment.  
  
A pained expression on her lovely face, Zoisite turned her   
violet-blue gaze from the disturbing sight. Looking at her   
brother, she lifted a hand to her lips and nibbled nervously   
on the well-manicured thumbnail. Just from his stance and   
the look of disbelief and muted outrage on his face, the   
Water Warrior certainly didn't need her sensitive empathy to   
know that Garnet was having trouble holding himself in   
check.  
  
Jadeite folded his arms over his yellow-clad chest, amber   
eyes betraying no emotion at all as he observed the   
telekinetically-forced march of the young females from the   
floor near the dais to the pair of empty, waiting chairs.   
If this was what it took, so be it. His obligation to the   
powers that be was to uphold Balance, doing so under the   
direction of the Guardian of Space. That the methods being   
used were questionable were probably more manifestations of   
the unusual circumstances, though the apparent obsession   
their ruler had in fixing the problem did bother the Air   
Warrior to a degree.  
  
Pale-lavender eyes hooded beneath half-closed lids, his   
stance relaxed and only the faintest of frowns revealing his   
inward turmoil, Kunzite silently watched as the blue-haired   
girl and the golden princess for whom he'd once bore a deep   
affection were telepathically manhandled into the seats   
waiting for them. This wasn't right, nor was it honorable.   
Perhaps it was time to speak up and add his voice to the   
respectful protestations after all. But even as he thought   
carefully about what to say to the Guardian, he felt   
something shift within himself. Startled, he turned his   
focus inward, searching for what was wrong.  
  
*No, not wrong,* he suddenly decided, realizing what it was   
he felt. The dissonance was gone; the constant raw ache   
within him that was there ever since he had tampered with   
the Flame of Mars was silenced. Eyes widening in surprise,   
he looked to Obsidian, puzzled. "My lord?"  
  
"You feel it also, do you not?" the Guardian softly asked,   
left hand still resting on the head of the unconscious   
Sailor Draco. "Ametrine has restored the Flame, setting the   
South back into balance. Now that I have Mercury safely   
confined, I shall send them on to fix the Fountain."  
  
Zoisite dropped her hand, mouth agape in startlement. Then   
a bright smile crossed her face, a joyful expression in her   
eyes. She was right to trust him; he promised he'd restore   
the focus when it was no longer necessary to keep the   
Mercurian powers from being reached. "Thank you, sir," she   
gushed, her happiness quite evident.  
  
"I promised it would be a temporary thing, Commander,"   
Obsidian reminded her, glancing over at the youngest of his   
people. "And I also need the Quarters in balance to do what   
is required to restore our poor shattered planet." He   
turned his dark-brown gaze to the Earth Warrior; too proud   
to give him a beseeching look, he gestured to the   
astrologer. "And that means the North as well..."  
  
Nephrite raised a white-gloved hand, resting it against his   
chin in a thoughtful gesture as the Guardian's words hung   
expectantly in the hushed stillness of the Hall of the   
Mirror. Was this the ultimate goal of having this second   
chance? To once more step into his role as the Elemental   
Warrior of Earth, this time of his own free will? *What   
should I do?* he asked himself, pondering the weighty   
question. Jade-green eyes closing, he searched within.  
  
He could sense them all, and yet the loneliness, the sense   
of *separation* he'd felt ever since accepting to return to   
life, clung to him with a relentlessness that disturbed him.   
He could once more hear the endless song of the stars, could   
feel the flow of their energy as they executed their precise   
dances, and yet he was no longer a part of that but rather   
only an outside observer. The powers of Healing and Earth   
were at his command, but he was only a conduit, not the   
Element made flesh. Like them, he could not be whole   
outside of the Binding that had defined his existence for   
millennia.  
  
Even so, Obsidian held captive the love of his life,   
intending on using her as some sort of battery to power a   
ritual intended to restore planet and people. Not only   
that, but he planned the same for the very princess he had   
once loved and betrayed, one of those many victims he had   
left in his wake for being foolishly tricked into taking the   
side of Chaos. He owed them *something*, some effort to   
make up to them what he had done -- but he also owed the   
Guardian of Space and the other Gemlords something as well.  
  
In the end, the choice was simple enough. Given who and   
what he was, there truly could be no other way. If Siolan's   
love was as real as she claimed, she would understand and   
perhaps forgive him for putting the entire Cosmos before   
her. Casting aside his mental shielding, his athletic form   
becoming outlined by a shimmering aura of silver-green   
starlight and the symbol of his Element shining within the   
heart of the jade cabochon of his silver circlet, Nephrite   
mentally reached out to the other four. **I am the Warrior   
of Earth, he who stands at the Northern Gate at the place of   
the midnight sun. I am the Foundation, upon which,   
together, we are the One...**  
  
They were there, meeting him halfway, brilliant stars of   
amber-yellow, violet-pink, violet-blue and blackish-green.   
Keeping himself wide open, he surrendered to their presence,   
willingly accepted the ancient bonds that tied him to them,   
these pieces of himself. Tilting his head back, his auburn   
mane sliding down the surface of his ebony cape, Nephrite   
gently sighed as the loneliness was banished, a feeling of   
wholeness washing over him. This is where he belonged, as   
it was always meant to be.  
  
Garnet watched, his uneasiness growing, as the whole of the   
Elemental Guard began to shimmer, their distinctive auras   
lining their physical forms. With a sinking feeling, he   
realized what they were doing. That fool Nephrite had   
rejoined them. Couldn't he see that there was something   
*not right*? With luck, perhaps all that was wrong was   
whatever imbalance the lack of the Earth Warrior had caused;   
the redheaded spy was willing to concede that, should that   
turn out to be the case. Even so, he couldn't help but feel   
as if Nephrite had just tossed away the one thing with which   
he truly had to bargain. Lips pressed together in an   
expression of muted outrage, his violet eyes scanned over   
Obsidian and the Elementals as their outfits began to   
change.  
  
As one, the shimmering auras faded away, leaving each one of   
the Gemlords involved clad in ebony uniforms that matched   
that of Nephrite. Where his was emerald green, however, the   
others had other hues, ones that reflected their signature   
colors. Jadeite's uniform was lined in orange-yellow,   
Zoisite's in ultramarine, while Kunzite's sported lavender   
lining and Obsidian's a green so dark it looked nearly   
black.  
  
*Only one thing left to do.* The Guardian of Space coldly   
smiled as he turned his attention back to the Dragon Senshi.   
Next to him, to his right, he could feel the eyes of the two   
conscious females upon him. That they never were under   
Nephrite's control -- a bit of information gathered the   
moment the Earth Warrior became a part of the Binding --   
mattered little, since he knew they could do nothing with   
him holding them there. Let them watch; part of him got a   
perverse glee out of knowing that the ones partially   
responsible for the fall of his beloved world would see what   
he had in store for them. From the four gems he had upon   
his person, he would need to craft a fifth to represent the   
Center, and to do that, he would need more energy than the   
pitiful amount he'd been able to glean from Sailor Draco so   
far. Somewhere in there, she had a connection to her   
planetary patron.  
  
Looking amongst themselves, the Gemlords arranged around the   
circular room frowned as their ruler's intent was made   
known. Pale eyes narrowing slightly, Kunzite felt once   
again the sharp pang of need as he thought about how it had   
been to be one drawing into himself the power of others.   
Though the obsession had faded with time, seeing the one at   
the very Center of their Binding preparing to do the very   
same thing made the burning hollowness impinge upon his   
awareness. Shifting his stance almost imperceptively, he   
brought his will to bear against the dark desire. So   
focused on what he was doing, Kunzite almost missed the   
softly mocking laughter that sounded in the back of his   
mind.  
  
*You are mine, all of you -- forever.*  
  
A cold chill shivered down the Fire Elemental's spine.   
Inwardly gasping, the only outward sign of his startlement   
and abrupt suspicion being the sudden widening of his eyes,   
Kunzite stared at the Guardian of Space. Metallia's voice   
sounded so smug, so sure... *What do you mean?* he mentally   
challenged.  
  
The silver-haired Gemlord received no answer from the dark   
empress's mocking voice, hearing only another peal of   
laughter. Nor did he need one as what she meant suddenly   
became painfully obvious.  
  
*Your power is *mine*,* Obsidian inwardly shouted, plunging   
his awareness brutally into the mind of the unconscious   
Senshi before him. If he had to tear her to pieces, he   
*would* find that link to her patron's energy. *I will not   
be denied!* He had every right to do so; she was only one   
Senshi among thousands, while he and his people were unique.   
She had forfeited herself the moment she decided to harm the   
youngest of his people, one of the very pieces of himself   
dedicated to the preservation of the Cosmos. As she had   
brutalized the Water Warrior's body, so would he brutalize   
her. Expression grim and his psychic hold on her   
unrelenting, the Lord of Lithos proceeded to search for that   
fountain of energy that must be in there, yanking aside   
those pieces of her personality that stood in his way with   
little regard toward preserving the integrity of her mind.  
  
Under his hand, straining against the telekinetic bonds that   
held her to her chair, the athletic form of Sailor Draco   
arched upwards in agony, a silent scream contorting her   
features into a mask of suffering. That same horrendous   
pain lanced across the awareness of the surrounding   
Gemlords. Zoisite clutched her head in sympathetic agony,   
her sensitive empathy drowning in the sensations of a mind   
being violently shredded, instantly on the verge of being   
noisily ill. All of the color drained out of Nephrite's   
face, his mind not quite able to register the truth of what   
he was sensing, of acknowledging what was happening to the   
woman he loved. Equally stunned were Jadeite and Adamant,   
the two staring at the morbid sight in profound disbelief.  
  
"*No*!" Kunzite shouted, his deep voice tearing through the   
Hall as the enormity of the truth swept over him. He could   
sense it, that familiar burning flame of black fire, there   
in the Center of the very cornerstone of Lithosian society,   
the ebony conflagration consuming the Guardian from the   
inside out. Now that he knew it was *there*, the feel of it   
was unmistakable. **Metallia has him!** he telepathed to   
the other Gemlords, giving them the image of what his senses   
revealed.  
  
"*Obsidian*!" yelled Garnet at nearly the same moment, his   
voice full of horror and outrage. Shoving a hand under his   
leather jacket, he pulled out his trusty Desert Eagle from   
the leather holster fastened against his upper left chest.   
Used to his role as a private investigator on Terra, using   
such weaponry had become second nature to the young redhead;   
knowing only that somehow the Guardian of Space needed to be   
stopped, brandishing the impressive handgun was the spy's   
first thought. From his link to the ill and panicked   
Zoisite, as well as Kunzite's terse announcement, he knew   
what they were facing; somehow Metallia had gotten her claws   
into the one that ruled them all -- confirming the nagging   
suspicion Garnet had had ever since he'd heard from Lord   
Obsidian what had happened between the Guardian's awakening   
and the telling of his tale. The matte black finish of the   
weapon shining dully in the light of the Hall, Garnet   
thumbed off the safety and pulled the trigger, bracing for   
the recoil of the fifty-caliber gun. The roar of the   
rapidly fired rounds tore through the sanctified atmosphere   
of the circular chamber, the casings of the spent rounds   
falling haphazardly to litter the carpeted floor. Perhaps,   
just perhaps, such a drastic measure could sever whatever   
connection there was between the twisted presence of the   
dark empress of the Negaverse and their beloved lord.  
  
The first bullet struck home, sending the black-uniformed   
body of the Guardian of Space staggering back. Black blood   
stained the carpeting in a spray of ebony drops. The   
contact broken, Draco's body slumped limply in the chair as   
a sphere of black radiance flared up around Obsidian, the   
remaining bullets freezing in place the moment they came   
into contact with the dark lord's shielding. The lead slugs   
floated there, impotent, then fell to the black-splattered   
flooring as the solid barrier of energy disappeared. The   
dull silver pieces of metal bounced slightly against the   
carpeting while the wounded Guardian's form whirled to face   
the source of the shots.  
  
Searing agony burned through him, only fueling his raging   
anger. It was almost incomprehensible that Garnet --   
*Garnet*! The one who owed his exalted position and power to   
Obsidian's recognition of his potential when others had no   
cause to believe -- would have turned on him as well. *The   
damned puppy hasn't learned a *thing* from our conversation   
in my private chambers!* Able to only focus on the blinding   
rage, the deep sense of utter betrayal, the sudden   
overwhelming *need* to dominate the situation *utterly*, the   
enraged Lord of Lithos pulled together his remaining power,   
never once noticing that dark tendrils of twisted energy   
flooded in as well in response to his furious marshaling of   
power.  
  
Violet eyes widened in shock as it registered that not only   
were most of his bullets stopped, the one strike Garnet got   
wasn't even slowing down the oldest Lithosian at all.   
Hearing the nearly-feral growl that filled the confines of   
the black-walled chamber and noting the hand violently   
thrust in his direction, the redheaded spy burst into   
motion; slamming the emptied Desert Eagle back into his   
shoulder holster in the same fluid motion that launched him   
toward the nearest cover the furnishings of the Hall had to   
offer, Garnet threw nearly all the energy he had available   
into a violet-red hued force field that snapped into   
existence around him.  
  
Though only guided by the single upper extremity still   
obeying the commands of his mind, his right arm dangling   
useless from the damage caused by the path of the bullet   
through him, the beam of intense, black energy that erupted   
from Obsidian's hand registered as a veritable tsunami of   
destructiveness to the senses of the remaining Gemlords.   
The pain had only fanned the flames higher; the Elementals   
could feel their Center burning away under that awful ebony   
bonfire, the hungry destruction reaching out towards them at   
an ever-increasing rate. Lancing across the distance, its   
composition far more of Metallia than of the keeper of the   
Vortex Mirror, the jet-hued power smashed into the fleeing   
Gemlord with a force that flung him hard into the curved   
obsidian wall. A sickening crunching sound accompanied the   
solid *thump*; Zoisite choked back a sob as her beloved   
brother's mental presence suddenly dimmed to nearly nothing   
at all there in the back of her mind.  
  
Black blood continuing to drip from his ruined shoulder onto   
the intricate knotwork design there at the edge of the   
central circle of the Zodiac-decorated carpet, Obsidian   
watched in pain and satisfaction both as a deep-red stone   
with violet fire within -- all that remained of the   
traitorous Gemlord that had dared attack him within the very   
sanctity of the Hall of the Mirror -- dropped to rest   
against where floor and wall joined. Lifting his hand,   
making an imperious gesture, his mind reached out and took   
hold of the fallen stone by the power of his will. The   
darkly glittering soulstone lifted up into the air, held   
aloft by the dark lord's telekinesis. *Never again will you   
dare to oppose my will,* Obsidian mentally hissed, an angry,   
bitter hatred filling him as he stared at the deep red   
soulstone rising from the floor. *I have had *enough* of my   
children not obeying me. I have been too soft a ruler, too   
indulgent. Never again will I make that particular mistake!*  
  
As Zoisite watched the sanguine jewel rise from the floor of   
the Hall she *knew*, with every fiber in her slender body,   
that she could not allow Obsidian to take custody of   
Garnet's soulstone. **He means to shatter his stone!** she   
frantically called out to the others, begging for their   
support. Love and duty overcoming her fear, she leapt   
forward, was surrounded by a swirl of cherry petals and   
disappeared, teleporting to close the fifteen-foot gap   
between herself and the floating gem. A scant instant later   
the petals burst forth again. Zoisite reappeared and   
snatched the deep red sphere from the air.  
  
**We've lost the Center!** Jadeite grimly reported, his   
telepathed voice broadcast to all save Obsidian himself.   
That the Guardian would so unthinkingly decide to   
irretrievably eliminate a Gemlord was far and away enough to   
confirm what their senses were registering.   
  
**We must contain the infection,** Nephrite responded, not   
daring to look at where the unmoving form of Sailor Draco   
remained. There was no time to dwell on something like   
that, no matter the import to himself. Above all else, the   
Cosmos came first; for Metallia to have control of the   
Vortex Mirror was something that must be prevented at all   
costs.  
  
**Adamant! Center!** Kunzite shouted, his tall form already   
on the move, silver-edged ebony cape flaring out behind him.   
Ages-old instinct overrode the events of recent times as the   
ingrained trust the Fire Commander had for his fellow   
Gemlord washed away any doubt that Adamant would refuse the   
command. Even as he telepathed the order, trusting the   
raven-haired warrior to react according to endless drills in   
the past, he sent along other orders as rapid-fire   
thought-images alone. They could take advantage of the   
construction of the Hall itself, but they would need to   
place themselves accordingly.  
  
Around him, the Air Warrior, Earth Warrior and Water Warrior   
were also on the move, guided by the wisdom of their field   
commander. Locating the section of the carpeting depicting   
Leo the Lion, Kunzite teleported there, reaching into   
himself to tap the fiery potential of his Element. Long   
auburn hair and silver-edged ebony cape streaming behind his   
athletic form, Nephrite sprinted for the northern arc of the   
room's embrace, seeking the segment of the carpet dedicated   
to Taurus the Bull, then making the teleportational hop.   
For Jadeite, it was an easy enough matter to take the few   
swift steps needed to take up a stance upon the pattern   
depicting Aquarius the Water-Bearer on the eastern side of   
the circular carpet. Zoisite, just completing her leap to   
grab her sibling's soulstone, envisioned the pattern of   
Scorpio the Scorpion woven into the circular carpet and made   
the jump, her form disappearing and then reappearing within   
a swirl of cherry blossom petals.  
  
Guided by the Fire Warrior's images even as he responded to   
the call to toss his mind and soul open to the Elemental   
Guard, Adamant pulled his gemstone quarterstaff into   
existence and retreated to the very middle of the Zodiac   
carpeting. He needed to remain only long enough to   
establish contact, after which he could retreat from the   
area Kunzite wished to confine. There was no room for   
thoughts of treason or mistrust; these few instants held the   
fate of Lithos and perhaps the Cosmos in a precarious   
balance, and there was only one thing to be done: act.   
Turning the glimmering six-foot-long weapon perpendicular to   
the floor, the raven-haired Gemlord jabbed the stone staff   
into the heart of the knotwork pattern.  
  
The woven pattern began to glow, a fiery light that ran   
along the strands from the center outward, as the latent   
energy of the very Element of the Center was tapped by the   
sibling of one attuned to it. A thrill of pure power ran   
through Adamant's tall form as he and the Elementals began   
to shift their Binding onto him. He would be the bridge   
between them; he would be their Center while they struggled   
to save their lord from the twisted clutches of Metallia.   
Though unlike Obsidian he could contribute no power to the   
Binding itself he would be the keystone of its formation,   
allowing the four Elements to become a thing greater than   
any single one could be on their own. This was their only   
hope.  
  
Obsidian spun around to face the west, hand pointing   
accusingly at the Water Warrior. "Give me that stone!   
*Now*!" he demanded, his baritone voice far harsher than had   
ever been heard before. Within his dark brown eyes   
glimmered not only an unsettling insanity but also the full   
power of the Mirror itself, bolstered by the twisted energy   
of Chaos.  
  
Even as her hand tightened protectively over Garnet's stone,   
Zoisite felt the sudden shift of her Element, the nagging   
pain and unsettling sense of imbalance fading away. Out   
there in the distance, Ametrine must have restored the   
Blessed Fountain of Mercury. Bowing her head, she reached   
deep into herself -- and found a tranquil strength unlike   
any other. Her body glimmered violet-blue, the form   
shifting liquidly underneath the glow, taking on decidedly   
masculine characteristics. Raising his head and opening his   
eyes, the angelic youth that was Zoisite's male form quietly   
met the unbalanced gaze of the Guardian of Space. "No,   
Obsidian," his melodic tenor replied.  
  
Simultaneously, the other three locked into the restored   
Binding, their respective Elements coming into balance with   
the peaceful potence of the West. Pulling his weapon from   
the carpeting and letting it dissipate into thin air,   
Adamant teleported from the central circle. Reappearing   
near the edge of the Hall of the Mirror, taking cover behind   
some of the furniture decorating the chamber, the   
raven-haired warrior turned his attention to watching. He   
would need to be ready in case something happened and the   
patched Binding failed.  
  
A snarled curse erupted from Obsidian's throat. Recovering   
almost immediately from his shock at having Zoisite defy   
him, he threw himself open to the seemingly limitless energy   
that was there for the taking, channeling the terrible power   
into a force he knew would cripple even the Elemental Prince   
of Water. A sickly black aura flared around him as the   
force beam burst into existence from his out-stretched hand.  
  
Pillars of brightly-hued radiance erupted from the sections   
of carpeting upon which the four Lithosians were standing,   
reaching up to the domed ceiling. The sections of the   
carpeting glowing with a light of the Quarter's signature   
hue and the corresponding constellations appearing on the   
ceiling above, the four became quite literally tied to   
heaven and earth at the four corners of the World. Within   
the heart of the pillars, the Elementals shifted positions,   
their hands swiftly moving out to either side; with no time   
for the formalized ritual, they worked from rote, pulling   
the shielding into place by will alone. White light   
sheeted around their insane ruler, a dome of pure energy   
encasing him even as the dark power raced toward Zoisite.   
The shielding held tightly despite the staggering blast that   
slammed against it. Near the curved wall, Adamant recoiled   
from a wave of pain; joined to them as he was, he could   
*feel* the pressure being exerted against the softly glowing   
shielding as if his body was an extension of the energy   
field itself.  
  
His presence contained, Obsidian's mental restraints on the   
Senshi disappeared, unable to remain once their source of   
power was cut. Sailor Draco's limp body fell to the   
carpeted floor with a very solid *thud*; their eyes huge at   
the fantastic scene unfolding before them in a manner of   
seconds, Princess Venus and Amy remained sitting stiffly in   
their chairs, uncertain what to do. Next to them, on the   
other side of the Dragon Senshi's now-empty seat, the   
remaining three females began to stir, their minds no longer   
being suppressed into unconsciousness.  
  
So they had turned on him after all, trapping him like a   
caged animal. He had given them a chance to right   
everything they'd destroyed, and they'd thrown it all away.   
Blinding rage consumed the Guardian of Space; his entire   
existence was nothing but a swirl of bitterness, hatred,   
betrayal and an anger that was beyond any description. He   
was their Center; he was the Mirror, the very thing that had   
created them from his own essence to further his will within   
the Cosmos. Very well. His world was already destroyed, his   
people asleep in death; he would destroy them all and start   
anew. Power filled him, surrounded him, a seemingly   
infinite supply. He would tear it all down and build it   
back up, better then before, without the inherent flaws! A   
guttural growl filled the Hall as Obsidian gathered together   
more energy, his body outlined in an ugly, almost misshapen   
aura.   
  
Power crackled in the very atmosphere as the buildup   
continued to mount ever higher. Adamant bit back a groan,   
guessing their lord's next tactic even as the Elementals   
increased their own energy output to meet the expected   
attack, reaching deep within as best they could, stranded   
within the Vortex as they were.  
  
The energy swiftly increasing was palpable to even human   
senses. Coming around, Serena and Princess Jupiter looked   
around in utter astonishment, finding themselves in   
completely alien surroundings. Raye struggled back to   
consciousness, her psychic senses nearly overloaded by the   
play of energy surrounding them and the overwhelming sense   
of complete and total evil that seemed to permeate the round   
chamber. Violet eyes widening, the Shinto priestess turned   
her gaze to the source of that *presence*; something --   
*anything* -- must be done to stop that evil from spreading.  
  
*Die!* Obsidian mentally shouted, throwing all his power,   
his rage, and his despair into a blast that exploded outward   
from his dark-clad form. He would sweep all this away, and   
start anew, eradicating this horrid mistake from reality.   
The twisted energy plowed into the glowing shield with a   
force that left all the Gemlords reeling save Adamant; the   
raven-haired Lithosian curled up in agony, teeth clenched   
against a howl of pain. As the Chaos-born energy struggled   
and clawed at the sphere containing it, Adamant shuddered,   
feeling as if his very soul was being shredded at by huge,   
poisoned talons. The Elementals as well felt the power   
trying to rip apart the weave of their force field, each one   
fighting off the burning pain, determined to contain the   
monster within.  
  
The power climbed ever higher, exceeding even what the four   
former generals could pull in from their limited access   
within the Vortex. Adamant continued to struggle against   
the soul-numbing pain, feeling every strain the shield was   
taking. Even so, the five were determined to do what they   
could. The very Cosmos perhaps hung in the balance; defeat   
now would see them once more plunge into the darkness from   
which they had escaped.  
  
No, Metallia would never own them again. Afterwards, none   
of the four could say who first chose to shake off the dark   
empress's attempts to reclaim them; perhaps it was a mutual   
thing. Regardless, something shifted as they remembered   
just who and what they were, what they could accomplish   
through their will. No, they were not pawns of Chaos, nor   
would they ever choose to be that again. They *knew*, with   
a blinding clarity, that their former subservience was their   
wish; it was now their desire to be free to be their true   
selves. They were the Elemental Princes -- Air, Earth, Fire   
and Water Incarnate -- and within them they held the   
boundless power of those building blocks of existence.   
Tranquility swept through them, a peacefulness born of their   
discovery. Their movements synchronized, the quartet raised   
their heads, surrendering to the very essence of who they   
were.  
  
Their forms blurred slightly, as if their bodies were losing   
the solidity that bound them to the here and now. With a   
rush of light and sound, impressive wings of pure energy   
emerged from their forms, rising upwards, then stretching   
out to meet tip to tip around the strengthening force field.   
Pale amber pinions, almost invisible, howled with the sounds   
of the wind sheltered the East, while wings made of shifting   
flame that roared with the sound of an inferno illuminated   
the South. Shifting, ever liquid feathers of shimmering   
blue, their movement sounding like the rush of ocean waves,   
stretched out across the West, as dark wings of   
emerald-sheened ebony pinions filled the North, their sound   
much like the roar of the shaking earth during a great   
quake. Struggle against them Chaos might, it no longer had   
the power to harm and control them simply because they chose   
to not let it have any influence against them.  
  
The agony faded, giving way to something indescribably   
wonderful. His breath exhaling in a sigh of both relief and   
reverent awe, Adamant could only exist, letting that power   
flow through him. It was so right, so *perfect*, the   
ultimate rush; he was untouchable, unable to be harmed any   
longer by Chaos.  
  
"What are they?" Princess Venus whispered in terrified awe,   
not believing her eyes.  
  
"I have no idea," Princess Jupiter replied, her voice as   
equally awestruck. "They're obviously more than Negaverse   
generals."  
  
"Whatever they are, they need our help," Raye replied.   
"They can only contain the evil. Something more must be   
done."  
  
"But what can we do?" Serena asked, tearing her gaze from   
the overwhelming sight to stare at her friends, fellow   
Sailors all.  
  
"The power levels are phenomenal," Amy stated, sapphire eyes   
flicking from one angelic being to another. "Far beyond   
anything of which we are capable, even as Scouts."  
  
"We need to do something," the raven-haired priestess   
insisted. "The evil must not be allowed to escape. It   
could mean the end of everything."  
  
"Any suggestions? Anyone?" the sunshine-blond royal asked,   
her azure eyes scanning over the almost incomprehensible   
scene.  
  
Serena looked around, blue eyes huge. On the verge of   
panicking, her mind seized upon the idea of the Imperium   
Silver Crystal. Once before, she had faced something   
monstrously evil, the spirits and wills of her friends at   
her side. A decision made, the golden Crescent Moon Wand   
appearing in her hand, the blond teenager reached up to the   
jewel-adorned locket fastened to the center of her school   
uniform's red bow. Flicking the brooch open, she extracted   
from its setting the fascinatingly brilliant, colorless   
stone, her body beginning to shimmer with a pale moonlit   
radiance. She grew slightly taller, becoming a bit older   
and more mature in appearance. Her sailor-like uniform   
melted away, being replaced by a royal gown of shimmering   
white silk, a shining crescent moon -- horns pointing   
upwards -- beginning to glow upon her forehead. "Join me,   
my court," Princess Serena gently commanded, placing the   
glimmering crystal upon its setting within the Crescent Moon   
Wand, "and assist me in offering aid to those fighting this   
great evil." She held up the golden wand, azure gaze   
focused upon the figure within the dome of brilliant light.  
  
Two hands reached up immediately, joining their princess's   
grasp upon the metallic item. Her emerald eyes determined,   
Princess Jupiter threw her will into the effort. She   
remembered the man Nephrite had been, and the boy he had   
become; he deserved her aid in this. Princess Venus wrapped   
her hand over that of the Jovian royal. Everyone should be   
allowed a second chance, even one who had betrayed her as   
badly as Kunzite had. Deep within, part of her would always   
admire him, no matter how intense her anger.  
  
Amy grabbed for the Crescent Moon Wand as swiftly as she   
could, rippling aqua light washing over her, her body   
transforming into that of Princess Mercury. Her friend   
Zoisite had tried to help her as best he could; she would do   
the same in the name of that friendship forged so long ago.   
Next to her, the raven-haired priestess transformed as well;   
the stately and regal Princess Mars did this far more to   
stop the growing evil than to assist Jadeite, but a   
lingering fondness for the Air Warrior was there from their   
shared experiences back before the Silver Millennium's fall.  
  
Hearts and minds united, the five princesses sent out a   
silent call, a heartfelt prayer to the powers that be for   
love and justice to prevail over the twisted evil held back   
by the angelic figures of nearly unimaginable power. In   
response, the brilliant jewel affixed to the wand held high   
began to gleam with a silvery fire that steadily grew in   
intensity. In a matter of seconds, it was glowing as   
brightly as the white-hot aura that surrounded Adamant's   
unmoving form.  
  
The silvery light shifted, flowing down the shaft of the   
golden wand. Starting like a gentle argent rain, the   
radiance rippled down and across the graceful figure of   
Princess Serena. The illumination swirled around the   
quintet, the sensation of something vast and eternally   
bright sweeping over the assembled royals. Tiny rainbows   
shimmered and danced throughout the Hall of the Mirror, that   
endless brilliance reflected back from the facets of the   
star-bright Imperium Silver Crystal. The light then   
coalesced into a figure that overlapped that of the   
blond-haired Lunar princess -- one that was taller, mature,   
possessing a delicate beauty that would leave most   
breathless, her silver hair in that same distinctive style.   
The ghost-like woman rested her hand over that of Serena, an   
expression of serene strength and limitless love on her   
flawless visage, her silver gaze focused on the quintet of   
ebony-uniformed Gemlords. She then lowered her translucent,   
delicate hand from the Crescent Moon Wand and glided towards   
the winged beings holding back the force of destruction.   
Even as she took that step, she melted away, leaving the   
court of princesses wondering if they had truly seen her.  
  
All of those born from the Mirror could sense the change;   
the ebony flames were met by a pure silver fire that flashed   
through the weaving and burned against the Chaotic pyre.   
The pressure against the shielding eased, leaving the   
quartet free to extend their power in other efforts. The   
howling maelstrom within their prison swirling to a halt,   
its efforts directed elsewhere by the resistance of that   
moonlit fire, love guided their souls and wills as they   
reached out toward their lost Center. Intellect, Passion,   
Intuition, Foundation -- the four Elemental Princes strove   
to break through the Chaos that wished to claim the one that   
had brought them into being, seeking to touch the true   
Guardian of Space. Tendrils of yellow, red, blue and green   
energy worked their way past those bonds liberated by the   
shining silver power, each commander appealing to his lord   
through his unique connection to the Binding.  
  
Nephrite concentrated on lessening the agony their lord felt   
from the bullet wound, his Healing power deadening nerves   
and beginning to restore traumatized tissues while his   
gentle but strong presence begged Obsidian to recall that he   
was their stability, the rock upon which all of Lithos   
rested. Jadeite's cool and calculating presence appealed to   
their lord's sense of reason and logic, reminding him of all   
the reasons why things were the way they were and how they   
truly worked in an efficient manner in that way. Love and   
respect was Zoisite's focus, his soft presence seeking to   
remind the Guardian how much each and every one of his   
people looked up to him and loved him as a father, a ruler   
and a god.  
  
The burning pain faded away; the towering rage suddenly felt   
like something beyond his awareness, as if it belonged to   
someone else. Voices came to him, shining stars of green,   
yellow and blue -- voices that sounded lost and pleading.   
Obsidian paused, puzzled by the sensations that sought to   
reach him through what remained of the emotional chaos. A   
bright violet-pink star reached out, its rays washing over   
him.  
  
*Remember...*  
  
A simple word, but with it came a wealth of images, of a   
million lifetimes of experiences, good and bad alike.   
Laughter, sadness, regal honor and blinding rage, watching   
so many firsts go by and the pride he felt in watching his   
people -- his children -- interact with the Cosmos they were   
there to preserve. He loved and cherished them all...  
  
*What am I doing?* Obsidian abruptly asked himself, mind   
recalling the overwhelming obsession to destroy these same   
children.  
  
*They disobeyed you. One wounded you -- *you*! -- and the   
others want to stop you from making everything right. You   
must destroy them for the good of the others! They've been   
infected with Chaos.*  
  
The Guardian turned his focus to the four stars that   
surrounded him, searching for the twisted presence of Chaos.   
It was there... *But not them. They shine as pure and   
bright as the day they were born...*  
  
*They are tricking you, concealing their contamination...*  
  
Obsidian ignored the nagging voice, continuing to scan for   
the source; in the back of his mind, he felt the Earth   
Warrior's Healing force, easing the pain. How could he have   
thought to destroy them? They were from his very essence; he   
could no more be rid of them then be rid of a hand.  
  
*They will strike against you again when you least expect   
it. Destroy them and start over. You will be safer that   
way...*  
  
His presence brushed against something, a vile nastiness   
that made him recoil. Reaching out, he tentatively examined   
it; then felt a chilling numbness as his entire plans came   
crashing down. As fragile as glass, everything he'd worked   
for since his awakening shattered like so many jagged   
shards.  
  
*They* were the contamination, the perfect gems he'd   
struggled so hard to recover. The Amber of Winds, the Ruby   
of Flames, the Sapphire of Waters and the Emerald of   
Forests, the keys to his recovery of world and people, were   
tainted with the wrongness of Chaos. Stunned, he just stood   
there, the energy he'd been channeling fading to nothingness   
as the enormity of the revelation hung over him.  
  
*All for nothing...*  
  
**No, not nothing! Look around you!** Kunzite implored,   
swooping in to claim the opportunity that had presented   
itself. Obsidian registered as lucid, as *himself* in that   
very moment.  
  
**We are free, my lord,** Jadeite added, leaving himself   
open to the Guardian's inspection should he wish to confirm   
the statement. **The chains of Chaos no longer bind us.**  
  
**Chaos is not a part of us. It is not a part of you,**   
Zoisite said. Taking a chance, the Elementals dropped the   
force field, the fascinating pinions of their powers fading   
away as they stepped forward as a unit, moving closer to   
where their ruler stood. **You have the choice, as we   
did... Father.**  
  
*Now! Destroy them! They are vulnerable!* The internal   
voice shrieked vehemently, yet all Obsidian could do was   
look at each one of them, seeing a part of himself reflected   
in them. At the Water Warrior's final word, a decidedly   
paternal emotion filled him. No, he could never destroy   
them. They were his children, and though they may stray, it   
was not *right* to condemn them in such a manner.  
  
A hand lightly touched his shoulder above the terrible   
wound. Nephrite's low voice whispered, "Let me Heal you, my   
lord."  
  
Nodding slightly, giving the Earth Warrior his permission,   
Obsidian reached into his pocket with the hand of his   
still-working arm and pulled out the quartet of glimmering   
jewels. He could see the Chaos within clearly now, deep   
shadows within the hearts of the stones. No salvation lay   
there, only complete annihilation of all that he held dear.   
How could he have made such a mistake?  
  
*That voice...* As the Northern Commander's soothing power   
flowed through him, he could see what they saw, the ebony   
flames attempting to consume the Center. Realization dawned   
on him, provoking not a cold fury but rather an unshakable   
sense of *self*.  
  
The end came not violently, but softly; a single choice   
straight from the heart and the ebony fire could touch him   
no more. Opening his hand, he let the gemstones fall to the   
floor. Metallia had tricked him, manipulating his thoughts   
and emotions in such a way as to promote making him a tool   
of that which he struggled against. But he was the Guardian   
of Space, the Mirror Incarnate. The dark empress could only   
affect him if he chose to let her do so. Aware of her   
machinations, he rejected them.  
  
Near the curved wall of the Hall, the barely conscious   
Adamant smiled in relief. Elegant form slowly crumpling to   
the floor, the smile lingered on his face as he felt   
Obsidian once again take his place at the Center of the very   
cornerstone of their culture. The energies shifted away   
from him and back to where they belonged, leaving him   
feeling oddly hollow. Pain nagged at him, his body suddenly   
aware of the damage channeling that much energy had created;   
he could already tell that he would not survive this as he   
closed his ebony eyes. He had never been meant to be a   
conduit for that much power for even that brief of a time;   
the energy had literally consumed him from the inside out,   
though will alone had kept him going, his desire to not fail   
stronger than his failing body. *A good death...* he   
thought as consciousness faded away. *I have touched   
Divinity...* The blackness overtook him then, his form   
vanishing in an ebony shimmer. All that remained behind was   
his jet-black soulstone, lying forlornly at the edge of the   
Zodiac carpeting. Then that lost its luster, turning dead   
gray.  
  
Watching the normal-seeming former generals step up and   
embrace their lord in a gesture of joyful camaraderie, the   
quintet of princesses lowered their arms. Still clutching   
the wand adorned with the Silver Imperium Crystal, Princess   
Serena looked to the others next to her. "Is it over?"  
  
"It just may be," Jupiter responded.  
  
"The evil isn't here anymore. I sense it on the retreat,   
being chased back to its lair," Mars added.  
  
Princess Venus looked away from the five men, her azure eyes   
focusing on her fellow royals. "Was I imagining things, or   
did we see... ?"  
  
Her voice trailed off as a silvery light appeared next to   
them, that sense of vastness and power sweeping over them.   
The warm glow solidified into a tall, willowy form, her   
curves unmistakably feminine. Tranquil and beautiful, the   
silver-haired apparition that glimmered there before them   
was a dearly familiar one.  
  
"Queen Serenity," Mercury said in an awed whisper.  
  
The former ruler of the Silver Millennium smiled, reaching   
out to touch each one of the princesses on the head with a   
barely felt tap of her hand. "You have done well,   
Highnesses. Through your plea, I was able to come here and   
offer my aid."  
  
"Is the danger over?" Serena asked, nervously looking over   
to the former generals.  
  
"Yes, it is. Metallia has no power over them now," Serenity   
replied, her smile bright. "What was wrong has been made   
right, thanks in part to all of you."  
  
Jupiter kept her gaze on Nephrite for a moment then shifted   
her emerald glance to look at the still unmoving form of the   
strange Scout. Stepping back, she knelt down, placing a   
hand on one of the redhead's shoulders. "Will she be all   
right?"  
  
"That I cannot say. In his madness, Obsidian damaged her   
severely," the silver-haired spirit replied, her voice   
taking on a note of profound sadness. "They will do what   
they can, but I fear it may not be enough."  
  
The rest of the princesses turned looked to the once-proud   
woman lying there on the floor like a broken doll, each one   
of them moved by the tragedy. "I hope she'll be okay,"   
Venus softly said.  
  
Serenity turned, raising an arm. From their position near   
the Lithosians, the discarded stones disappeared,   
reappearing in the palm of the spirit's hand. Returning her   
focus to the royals, she handed to Venus, Jupiter, Mercury   
and Mars the corresponding gem that had been taken from   
their castles. "Long ago, the gems were tainted with the   
Chaos that had leaked into the universe. Their power   
suddenly unreliable, it became one of our responsibilities   
to see that they were kept safe. I hereby again charge you   
with that duty."  
  
"What about Obsidian and his people?" Mars asked, hazarding   
a glance back over to the group of black-uniformed men.  
  
"The jewels cannot do what he thought they could. He will   
seek them no more," Serenity replied. "From him, they will   
remain safe."  
  
The four nodded, agreeing to the resuming of their duty.  
  
Noting their response, the apparition concentrated, her form   
beginning to glow again with silvery moonlight. "To better   
help you, I give you this gift. Open yourselves to the flow   
of your patron, all of you. Feel the energy of your planet   
fill you. Send back to your focus the stone and draw into   
you the limitless power that courses through it."  
  
They all did as she asked, the four princesses holding gems   
wrapping their hands around the glistening jewels as   
Princess Serenity bowed her head. Their auras flaring   
softly around them, shimmering light of yellow, blue, red,   
green and pink, the young women opened themselves to the   
wondrous power of their planetary patrons. The liquid rush   
of water, the mighty strength of wood, the golden warmth of   
beauty, the illuminated heat of fire, the mystic light of   
the moon, they filled themselves with that energy, felt it   
permeate every fiber of their being. The five transformed,   
their royal selves giving way to Senshi uniforms slightly   
different than before: the bows in back of their outfits had   
longer tails and golden stars adorned their ribbon chokers.   
The four gemstones they'd held in their hands disappeared,   
once more concealed within the innermost chambers of the   
planetary castles. Coming back to reality, each one of the   
sailor-suited warriors felt herself stronger, wielding more   
of her Senshi powers.  
  
Serenity smiled at them, the light fading from her. "You   
are worthy warriors, one and all." She then turned and   
began walking toward the quintet of Gemlords a number of   
feet away.  
  
To the east, the Mirror rippled and shimmered, the surface   
parting to let through twin forms. Their faces startled,   
reflecting their frantic -- and mostly unsuccessful --   
attempts to return to the Hall, Ametrine came to a sudden   
stop there on the dais before the Symbol of Space. Utterly   
confused by the goings on, the blond man and violet-haired   
woman just stood there, uncertain how to proceed.  
  
Nephrite continued Healing his lord's wounded shoulder; the   
auburn-haired man remained immobile as the silvery spirit   
approached them. Watching her in curiosity, the remaining   
three Elementals respectfully stepped aside when it became   
clear that the silver-haired ghost meant to reach Obsidian.   
The Guardian of Space kept his deep-brown eyes focused on   
Serenity, his expression a mixture of joy and pain.  
  
She stopped before him, her smile a loving one. Reaching   
out a translucent hand, she lightly caressed his cheek.   
"Courage, beloved," she whispered, her voice barely heard.  
  
Obsidian tried to return the gesture, his hand passing   
through her form instead of stroking her jawline. He   
started to say something, but she shook her head and pressed   
a finger to his lips.  
  
"Existence goes on. They need you, as does the Cosmos."   
Lowering her hand, she stretched upwards, brushing ghostly   
lips against his. "Remember... I am with you, always..."   
Her hushed words, as well as a lingering trace of her sweet   
perfume, hung there before him as her willowy form faded   
away.  
  
A profound sadness remained in Obsidian's dark gaze as he   
looked around the Hall of the Mirror. 


	13. Epilogue: Silver Reflections

EPILOGUE: SILVER REFLECTIONS   
  
  
Two cycles of the silver orb that encircled Terra had passed   
since that fateful day. The Tower remained in the Vortex,   
cut off from physical reality in that place between all   
places. Deep brown eyes gazed down at the dull gray stone   
in his hand; Obsidian sat on his green-upholstered, black   
stone throne, his mind dwelling upon the recent past.  
  
The Senshi had been returned to the life-filled blue planet   
of their current bodies' birth, escorted there by the dual   
Ametrine, Kunzite and Zoisite. He had offered them an   
explanation before they were whisked away, telling them his   
story from the fall of Lithos to his awakening and beyond.   
Though he probably hadn't deserved it, they had gracefully   
accepted his apology. The faint flicker of a smile tugged   
at the corners of his mouth; if anything, they had seemed to   
understand and sympathize with his position. Even so, he   
had sensed a continuing wariness within them as they were   
ushered from his abode. He couldn't fault them for   
something like that.  
  
As for Sailor Draco... He sighed, a feeling of deep regret   
sweeping over him. Working together, Jadeite and Nephrite   
had attempted to undo the rending he had done, all to no   
avail. Something had happened to her during her time in the   
Negaverse, a something further aggravated by his unthinking   
and callous mental rape. Not even the Air and Earth   
Warriors could mend the tattered mind he had left behind.   
In the end, it was decided that if anything could restore   
her, it would be her planetary patron. Gathering her up in   
his strong arms, it had been a grieving Nephrite that had   
carried her home, Jadeite accompanying him to the nearly   
lifeless planet from whence she had originally come.  
  
The Northern Commander had then traveled to Terra, picking   
back up the pieces of his life as Maxfield Stanton.   
Determined to make good on his promise to pay back those he   
had harmed while a tool of Chaos, Nephrite had concentrated   
on that, though Obsidian knew that the Earth Warrior   
deliberately avoided both Molly and Lita. Anything that   
even hinted at companionship was, at the moment, consciously   
rejected by Nephrite; he spent most of his time brooding in   
his mansion, though he remained in contact with the others   
of the Elemental Binding.  
  
Jadeite, upon his return, had thrown himself into the   
restoration of the Record, the vast system that was the   
repository of all the knowledge accumulated by the Lithosian   
race over the millennia. Though much had survived along   
with the Tower, the thousand years of *de facto* neglect   
needed to be made up, to have its impact erased. The   
Eastern Commander also needed to look into restoring what   
was lost in the fall of Lithos. Ametrine had been the Air   
Warrior's constant companion, helping him in any way that   
Jadeite had requested. Items had to be catalogued, files   
needed to be checked for integrity, a full accounting of   
what was lost and what remained was required in order to   
move on to fill in the gaps that were now present.  
  
Zoisite had remained within his quarters, continuing to   
watch over the deep red stone into which his sibling had   
retreated and then caring for the still-weak Garnet when the   
redheaded spy was finally able to manifest again. Whatever   
quirk it was that had kept the Water Warrior within her   
feminine form seemed to have resolved itself; Zoisite spent   
about an equal amount of time in each form, judging from the   
subtle shift of the West within the web of the Binding.   
Obsidian hadn't demanded the soulstone back, knowing full   
well that it was better to let the Western Commander care   
for his sibling.  
  
A frown settled on his handsome face as his thoughts turned   
to Garnet. Three weeks had gone by before the fallen   
Gemlord could project a physical form around his stone   
again. At the Water Warrior's insistence, Lady Ametrine had   
been persuaded to Heal the redhead, but it had been another   
week before Garnet was truly back to a hundred percent.   
Just recently, he and Zoisite had been spending more and   
more time on Terra; apparently Garnet was picking up his   
life as a private investigator as something to do to pass   
the time. At the moment, their friendship was strained, the   
Guardian's pride too much to allow him to apologize to the   
young spy.  
  
Of them all, Kunzite had been the one to stay near, keeping   
Obsidian company most of the time, even during those long   
stretches of brooding silence. The Guardian of Space was   
under the impression that the Fire Warrior was worried about   
him; Kunzite actually had good cause to be concerned.   
Depression and apathy had settled in, draining Obsidian of   
his drive and his ability to care. Each day was a struggle   
just to face, let alone try to continue on with his work,   
but within the darkest of his moods, he managed to do so in   
spite of it all. In those moments, the Lord of Lithos would   
again hear Serenity's soft words -- "Existence goes on.   
They need you, as does the Cosmos." -- and recall the feel   
of her lips against his. It was enough to keep him going   
despite his desire to just shut himself away in his chambers   
and never deal with anything more.  
  
In those moments after the Senshi were gone, Obsidian had   
walked over and retrieved the dead stone that had been the   
brave Adamant. Holding it in his hand, the echoes of the   
power he had channeled remained; to his surprise, he sensed   
Adamant changed slightly by the phenomenal energy, more in   
tune to both the Center and the Elements as a whole. A   
grief-tinged pride had settled within the dark lord's heart   
as he had gently returned the lusterless soulstone to rest   
next to that of Lord Quartz. Adamant's actions had been   
truly inspiring. So had those of all the living Gemlords,   
to be honest.  
  
A faintly sad smile returned to the Guardian's visage while   
he shifted his gaze from the stone in his hand to the low   
table upon which his people slept. Out of deference to both   
the dead and the living, the wooden structure was now   
covered with a cloth, a symbolic burial for those still   
locked within their stones by death. One day, they would   
all be living again, but for now, he had to settle for doing   
what he could when he could. And Beryl's shards had been   
gathered up, every little piece carefully swept away from   
that low table into a container that even now rested within   
a safe place in Obsidian's private chamber. To have   
something like that -- a virtual gateway to a Chaotic   
infection -- being easily accessible was just asking for   
trouble, even if he trusted those Gemlords currently alive.  
  
Metallia bothered them all no more. Having refused to allow   
her to have power over them, he and the four former generals   
were well and truly free of her influence. In looking back   
over the events after his awakening, Obsidian could only   
guess that he had been first infected with Chaos at that   
moment he had taken Beryl's stone and had shattered it.   
From that point on, the dark empress had done her best to   
turn his impulses and emotions against himself; that she had   
succeeded so well had taught him just how truly subtle Chaos   
could be. No more could he resent the Elementals for   
succumbing; he truly understood how they may not have known   
what was happening before it was too late.  
  
However, he knew better than to think that Metallia had   
given up. No, she would continue to further her goals,   
using other methods, tactics, and tools. And he would be   
there, with those of his people who were active, fighting   
against her. He knew what Chaos could do to an entire   
Thread of the great Tapestry that was the Cosmos; he was a   
force dedicated to opposing that, to maintaining Balance in   
the universe.  
  
He gently sighed, his attention turning to the soulstone he   
held. Enough energy had been gathered to bring back   
another. He had stood before the table for a long moment,   
the shroud covering them pulled back, before deciding upon   
which one of his children he would bring forth into the   
world. When he had made his choice, it was truly for   
selfish reasons; still, he was sure none of those living   
would fault him for his motivation.  
  
Rising from the throne, Obsidian stepped down the three   
stairs of the dais. Stopping at the edge of the   
Zodiac-adorned carpet, he folded his hands over the   
lusterless, bluish-gray stone. Deep brown eyes closing and   
bowing his head, he drew forth what energy he had, sending   
it into the dead jewel. Mirror and body alike taking on   
their characteristic blackish-green auras, the Guardian of   
Space willed the Gemlord in his hands to come back to life.  
  
The pattern deep within glowed; the spark of existence   
caught and held. Feeling the presence within awakening,   
Obsidian set the gem down on the carpeting and took a step   
back, eagerly watching the process.  
  
From dull blue-gray to a rich-hued swirl of blue,   
purple-pink, green, gray and white, the soulstone shined   
with a light that shifted through those same colors. The   
glow intensified, taking on the pulse of a heartbeat. *A   
forceful blast, far more intense than anything yet directed   
at what was supposed to be a very solid door... The heavy   
panels ripped from their hinges, becoming deadly crushing   
projectiles...* The swirling, multi-colored light grew as   
bright as a miniature sun, casting shadows across the length   
and breadth of the Hall. Then the radiance disappeared,   
leaving behind the still form of a man lying upon the floor.   
Of slightly more than average height and of average build,   
the Gemlord there had something of an elegant, stoic and   
scholarly air to his appearance. His shoulder-length   
straight hair was an appealing shade of blue streaked with   
purplish-pink, the locks highlighted by shifting shades of   
white and light gray; his well-toned body was clad in   
conservative clothing of those same colors.  
  
A smile came to Obsidian's face as he awaited the other   
man's return to reality.  
  
*Utter disbelief and horror as two very familiar forms are   
struck down, their presence extinguished like candleflames   
in a stiff breeze... Twisted, misshapen forms come pouring   
in, hardly noticed when all the focus of the world   
telescopes down to the sight of a faceted stone changing   
from deep, watery-blue sapphire to lifeless blue-gray...*   
With a gasp, the Lithosian lying on the floor opened his   
green eyes, the last moments before the profound darkness   
clinging to him. Blinking rapidly, it took him a moment to   
realize that he wasn't in the City Library anymore.   
Somehow, he was now in the Hall of the Mirror, staring up   
past the ring of illumination crystals to the frescoes on   
the underside of the domed ceiling. "Iolite?" he called   
out, part of him hoping -- praying -- that what he recalled   
was some disturbing phantasm.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lord Kyanite. I have yet to bring her back," a   
voice replied, a rich baritone very familiar to the supine   
Gemlord.  
  
Part of him greeted the confirmation with a deep sense of   
loss while another merely acknowledged the statement as the   
truth he knew it was. Gathering his thoughts, Kyanite   
struggled to his feet as swiftly as possible, offering his   
ruler a salute of respect once he was standing. "Forgive   
me, my lord."  
  
"There's nothing to forgive," Obsidian assured him.   
"Welcome back, Lord Kyanite."  
  
Verdant gaze sweeping over the Hall, the scholarly Gemlord   
frowned, aware of few presences in the telepathic network of   
which they were all a part. "Nearly all are gone?" he   
asked, his voice low in disbelief.  
  
"Yes. Only a handful of us are in existence at the moment."  
  
"What exactly happened, my lord?" Kyanite asked, looking   
once more at the Guardian of Space.  
  
"That, my friend, is a long story," Obsidian replied. "Rest   
assured, I shall tell it to you, however..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"There's another story I'd like to tell you first."  
  
A sudden wave of dizziness swept over the resurrected   
Gemlord. Swaying slightly, the Lithosian in charge of the   
resources of the grand library of knowledge and media of   
Lithos pressed a hand to his forehead as he tried to will   
away the vertigo.  
  
Appearing quite concerned, Obsidian swiftly crossed the   
space between them, reaching out to steady the shorter man.   
Continuing to support his close friend, the dark lord said,   
"Give yourself a moment. The dizziness will pass, though   
you will need to rest soon."  
  
Kyanite nodded, then opened his eyes, the light of curiosity   
in their green depths. "What story is it that you wish to   
tell me first?"  
  
"Do you remember, long ago, that time when I went missing   
and Captain Diamond had to assume control of Lithos?"  
  
"Of course, my lord," the Librarian swiftly replied. All of   
them could recall that time, so different from the normal   
course of things. The Guardian of Space himself had   
vanished without a trace; such an occurrence was not lightly   
ignored.  
  
Stepping to the side and holding the other Gemlord against   
himself to better support Kyanite, Obsidian began to walk   
toward the dais and the secret door that would lead to his   
private chambers. As they approached it, the door swung   
open of its own accord, the dark lord's baritone voice   
adding, "Let me tell you what happened during that moment of   
our history. It's a tale I've been meaning to tell you for a   
very long time. You see, I met a woman there..."  
  
They stepped through the doorway together. Once they had   
passed, the section of obsidian swung shut behind them,   
leaving them to further discuss the matter in privacy.  
  
  
FIN  
  
  
Author's Note: Though this story's only taken a couple of   
months to convert to text and upload onto FF.net, in reality   
it took me over three years to finish it, and I'm quite   
proud of it and the story it tells. However, no one is an   
island, and without the support of my online friends and the   
interest of readers over the years, this project would never   
have been completed.  
  
Finally, I dedicate this story and the Gemlords who star   
within it to Corvus, the one online friend who has been   
there since nearly the very beginning. Without him, this   
project would have been half as good and probably have been   
abandoned long ago. He has, more than anyone else, helped   
me bring to life the regal and immortal Gemlords of Lithos.   
Thanks, Corv, for your continued belief in my skills and   
myself.  
  
For other stories about the Gemlords of Lithos (and   
character drawings of the various Gemlords), please visit my   
site at http://www.diasilv.com/tower/towerindex.html 


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